


Change the fates' design

by butjaehyunie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family Reunions, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gaslighting, Getting Together, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Character Death, OT23 (NCT), Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Tangled AU, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27715099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butjaehyunie/pseuds/butjaehyunie
Summary: When Taeyong planned to sneak out of the tower he'd been living in since he was a baby, he didn't expect a strange handsome man to enter his life and enable him to do so. He had never left his tower, ever, because his mother didn't want him to. But what if one tiny move started a domino effect and changed everything he had ever known about himself?
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 20
Kudos: 128
Collections: NCT Bigbang Round 1





	Change the fates' design

**Author's Note:**

> Hi.
> 
> Whoa, I can't believe we've arrived at the end stage. This work has been 2 years in the making and a passion project for me. When I the saw sign ups for this fest had opened, I was so excited about the prospect of getting to participate and collaborate with an artist! and I have to thank my friend, Nat, for reaching out to me and motivating me to finally dive into it. I was scared and really intimidated, but I also knew that if I didn't do this now, I might have never written and finished it. So here we are, my longest fic to date and I must repeat, I can't believe I'm here. Just half a year ago I didn't believe I could ever write something more than 15K and look at me now, having doubled it.
> 
> Thank you to my dear friends and moots; Ran, Ri, Nat, Jenny, Mie, Ara, Lin and Lu! (also my other fellow jaeyong writers ILY) Your support has been a gift <3 Ran & Ri especially, thank you so much for always listening to my ramblings, my crying and complete and utter stress induced panic episodes// You both have helped me SO SO SO much!! I would have never made it without you guys, so thank you and I love you. ♡
> 
> Thank you to the fest mod for organising such a wonderful fest! And thank you to my artist, Tav, I'm so grateful you picked my prompt! Check out her art [here](https://twitter.com/somvree/status/1334178193327222784?s=20)
> 
> Thank you to anyone who has ever seen me tweeting about jaeyong tangled and given me just a few words of support or excitement, it did more than you would have expected!
> 
> This fic started over 2 years ago with me driving to work and listening to the Tangled soundtrack, I got the image of Jaehyun and Taeyong in that boat with the lanterns in my head and since then, it has never left. This is the result of it.
> 
> Trigger Warning: I do want to give a little heads up, this fic (like the original story) contains some serious gaslighting.  
> "Gaslighting is the action of tricking or controlling someone by making them believe things that are not true, especially by suggesting that they may be mentally ill." ~Cambridge Dictionary  
> Gaslighting IS a form of psychological abuse, which is exactly why I thoroughly tagged it.
> 
> If you'd like to learn more about gaslighting, this is an interesting article about recognising the signs: [11 warning signs of gaslighting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-warning-signs-gaslighting)
> 
> AND I've found a fun and interesting video analysing the movie Tangled and talking about the signs of gaslighting there, give it a watch here: [11 Warning Signs of Gaslighting in Tangled](https://youtu.be/Efua__7B7j4)
> 
> Now without further ado, please enjoy this passion project of mine ♡

Once upon a time, when the stars still shone brightly in the sky and the sun was the most honoured given light on earth, a single drop of sunlight fell from the sky. A beautiful magic golden flower grew from this small drop and graced its honour and presence on the land surrounding it. The flower, however, had the ability to heal the sick and injured. It vibrated with life and held a powerful magic that would be quite sought after once people got to know of its existence and its qualities.

Rumours spread around villages and later on kingdoms in the years passing. Tales were told like secrets, though no one had seen the flower in real life or knew of its location. The mysterious flower seemed to be kept alive through spoken words as if its importance in the future had already been known. And somehow, they had been right.

Our story begins maybe not quite where you would expect it, it begins with a little boy in a small orphanage. The orphanage was located in a calm area on the edge of the forest, next to the Kingdom of Eldora. There were about twelve children living there, together with their caregivers. Some of the kids only stayed temporarily, and while that was the purpose of the orphanage, of giving them a temporary home until a loving family adopted them as one of their own, not everyone got lucky like this. Our little boy had been living there since he was a baby and no one had shown interest in adopting him.

At the age of nine, the boy had got used to living in the room he shared with the other kids, his mattress on the ground somewhere in the corner. Somehow, he was a bit of an outcast. The other kids weren’t necessarily mean, but it was clear they always preferred to play with someone else. The child didn’t really mind at this point.

He spent his time reading book after book about any subject, you could say he was pretty smart. The boy often liked to sneak out in the morning and run off to the kingdom to watch and see what life looked like over there.

On one of his adventures, he found a little library that also served as a bookshop. The old man who owned the place had welcomed the boy with open arms and always let him sit in a comfortable chair and read whatever he liked. Books about history, fairy tales, adventures, biology, geography, the little boy had read them all. Sometimes, the owner’s grandson was there as well. He was a few years older than him, but they liked playing together or simply just sitting next to each other while reading.

At times, the old man would let him take some books with him back to the orphanage in the evening, and the caregivers would watch the child disappear to the kids’ bedroom with a heap of books in his arms. He wasn’t really concerned about playing with the others, he actually preferred being on his own. His favourite topic was biology, because he wanted to be a healer when he was older.

Until the boy was consumed by another subject, magic.

Magic, yes, there were hundreds of books about all kinds of magic and the boy wanted to know everything about it, because there was something he’d always been curious about.

Around his left wrist, a golden bracelet sat snuggly against his skin and seemed to grow with him the older he got. For the bracelet, embedded with tiny lilac jewels, was of magical origin. Sometimes, when he was feeling particularly lonely, it felt as though he could sense its magic zooming around, comforting him in some way.

When he asked about the bracelet, all the caregivers had been able to say was that his mother had given it to him when she came to bring him to the orphanage. Jaehyun would rather not think about it but sometimes, he’d find himself lost in thought about it anyway. The caregiver that had been on duty had said that his mother didn’t mean to leave him at the orphanage. She’d said that she would come again for her son when it was safe outside, but then she never returned.

The other strange thing about the bracelet was, that no matter how much the boy tried, he couldn't seem to ever get it off, it was impossible to remove the bracelet from his arm, so the child would just be stuck with it forever. It raised his curiosity, however, where did it come from? What qualities did it possess? Did it have any purpose? Was the bracelet a family jewel? He had no idea, but he did want to find out as much about magic as he could.

This day, though, the little boy was kept from snuggling up on his mattress, because of a trip with all the members of their house to the edge of the land, by the sea. Each year, on the lost prince’s birthday, the caregivers took all the kids on a daytrip, which ended with them joining in on the celebrations in the evening.

At a certain hour when the skies turned dark, thousands of lanterns would be lit up and sent into the air in honour of the lost boy. Today, the prince would be turning five years old.

The people of the kingdom, as well as the King and Queen of Eldora, still held their hopes high and believed that one day their prince would return home. So, every year on the evening of his birthday, these golden lanterns with lilac drawings and decorations would paint the sky in memory.

The little orphan had always liked seeing the lanterns, for some reason. The view they had from the riverbanks on the other side of the water, separating the kingdom and the greater lands with the forest, was nothing if not spectacular.

The entire kingdom came together to celebrate and share a common love, hope and warmth. The boy liked this feeling of love and warmth, and on this day, he let himself wonder what it would feel like to be reunited with his family and experience a real family for the first time.

A little to the right of him, a lone lantern had come flying his way. The child quickly made his way towards it, and pushed it back up towards the sky, along with a silent wish.

“Jaehyun, come on boy, we have to go back now. Don’t lag behind.” One of the caregivers called out for him.

With one last look at the lantern-filled sky, little Jaehyun turned around and made his way back to his group.

Up in a tower, high above the ground, there lived a young boy with his mother. He didn’t ever leave the tower, as mother Young Mi had said outside was a very dangerous place.

The tower was a lone pillar in a valley closed off from the rest of the world. Inside the valley, nature flourished. The grass was a beautiful green, the water from the waterfall a clear blue and the skies were never the same each day.

And yet, the boy never left his tower, not even to play. For years, he kept himself busy in his tower, while his mother went out, either to collect herbs and vegetables or simply to disappear beyond the walls of the valley. Beyond what the boy knew to be reality.

But the mother had a good reason for keeping him inside all those years. For in between the walls of their home it was safe, she could watch over him and care for him, give him all the love he deserved. And the young boy was no ordinary child. He was born with a gift. A magical, healing power flowed through his blood, and such magic had to be protected.

Every day, the child would sit down next to his mother and sing with her while she brushed her hand through his golden hair, and when he got old enough, he sang alone. For when his voice carried a certain melody through the room, his soft golden hair would start to glow. His hands started tingling and a bright, gleaming light would shine from the palms of his hands in the form of a beautiful lily-like flower. When he held his mother’s hands, the healing magic would make his mother feel better and younger, and there was nothing the child loved doing more than making sure his mother was feeling good and healthy.

When the boy had asked mother Young Mi about why he couldn’t go outside, she told him that there were many evil people out there, selfish and greedy thugs, aggressive bandits and ruffians who, if they came to know about his magic, would try to steal it for themselves. No, it would be better to stay inside with his mother, who loved him dearly and protected him.

Over the years, he had wondered many times what it would be like to touch the grass with his bare feet and breathe the air down there, see if it felt any different than up here in the tower. However, each time he felt his thoughts slipping further, quickly, he tried halting them, and focused on what he did know. He focused on what he could grasp with his bare hands, Things he _could_ do, things he liked doing with his time.

He had even created a careful routine, one that he followed diligently every single day. He got up at seven in the morning, started on his chores and made sure their home was kept clean. Then he’d read one of his books, or all of them, since he only had three. There was one on the culinary arts, another on geology and finally, one on botany, which was his personal favourite.

The boy, now already a young man of seventeen, loved learning about all kinds of plants but most of all about the different types of flowers and their meanings. It probably had to do with the fact that he had been born with a connection to one specifically, reading about flowers always managed to bring a smile to his face. And since the flower imprints on his palms resembled lilies, the delicate flowers had always been his favourites.

He also loved adding paintings to his big gallery, the walls of his home telling a beautiful story in rich lilacs and golds. His story to be exact. He loved painting flowers and had even charted the stars and documented them on his wall.

The boy could play guitar, knit a sweater, cook, and after lunch it was time for puzzles, darts, baking, a bit of ballet or chess, pottery, candle making and stretching. And then he’d go back to reading and painting, you get the gist. He had enough things to do to keep him busy all day, stuck in the same place he’d always been and always known, his tower.

Then he wondered if there was ever going to be a moment where his life would really begin, and maybe… start somewhere outside his tower? Whenever he had these thoughts, he was really glad his mother wasn’t able to hear them. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t like them very much, but he just couldn’t help it. What was life beyond his valley? What was it like?

Tomorrow night, lights would appear in the evening skies, just like they did on his birthday each year up until now. The young man had been gazing at them with wonder in his eyes and his heart, every year since he was a small boy and had just found out about them.

What was it like, seeing them from up close, learning about them and what they meant? What was it like out there where the lights glowed in the night’s sky? Now that he was older, maybe mother might let him go?

Up in a tower, high above the ground, there lived a young man with his mother, and his name was Taeyong.

Taeyong had got up at seven am and travelled through his routine like usual. His mother was somewhere outside in the unknown on her morning walk. Each time she left, Taeyong had to assure her he would be okay alone at home. But he was almost eighteen years old! He could handle himself just fine.

What mother didn’t know, however, is that Taeyong wasn’t really alone. His best friend -and only friend- came in the form of a cute and loyal chameleon called Doyoung. Mother Young Mi wasn’t really keen on pets, so Taeyong kept him hidden from her in his room. He even had a tiny bed just for himself, which Taeyong had made for him. Whenever his mother went out for the day, Doyoung followed Taeyong wherever he went and through all his chores and hobbies. Little Doyoung would accompany Taeyong through his lonely days, so he would never truly be alone.

Just like right now, Taeyong had just finished reading his botany book and his mind wandered to the sky, where tomorrow night his favourite lights would paint the skies. His legs took him to the window of the small balcony and he found himself leaning onto its ledge, dreamily watching the clouds.

“It’s almost time, Doyoung. Another year has passed, but this time I really want to see them up close. Today is the day I will have to ask mother to take me to see the lights.” He told the chameleon.

Doyoung had jumped onto the window ledge next to Taeyong and gave him an encouraging rub with his head. He was a very smart chameleon, Doyoung perfectly sensed Taeyong’s emotions every time and always seemed to know and understand what Taeyong wanted to say. The latter was glad to have him as his friend.

Taeyong turned around and looked at the most important painting on his wall, above the fireplace. It was a drawing of himself at the edge of the land, looking up at the thousands of lights floating in the dark sky above him. This was his dream, the one that he had held close his whole life. He needed to see them in person, he needed to know what they were. Taeyong took in a deep breath and nodded. Today was the day.

When he heard his mother call for him from the foot of the tower and announce her return, Taeyong’s stomach was up in nerves. After a confident nod from Doyoung, however, and making sure the other had hidden himself well -he’d taken to the brown colour of the flowerpot in the living room- Taeyong started for the window.

“Taeyong, I’m here!” She sang.

“Just a second, mother!” He said, before he started to sing. He sang about the flower that had given him his healing abilities and asked for it to allow him to make use of the power it gave him.

With each word sung and note reached, the vines on the exterior of the tower slowly started to come to life. They moved and released their seeming grip on the tower, before lowering themselves and moving into a makeshift seat for his mother to use, bringing her all the way to the top of the tower, and the entrance to their home.

“Welcome home, mother.” Taeyong told mother Young Mi.

“Thank you, my dear.” His mother said when she stepped into their home through the large window.

“How was your walk in the forest?”

“Oh, you know, the same as always.” Young Mi unclasped her cloak and moved to put it away. Taeyong didn’t really know what to understand as ‘same as always’, it’s not like he was ever able to see it for himself… So this prompted to give him the final push to finally ask his question.

“Anyway, mother, I have something really important to ask you, as you know, tomorrow is kind of a -really- big day for me. It’s my birthday, tadaaaa, so-” Taeyong cleared his throat in between his request turned rambling. Before he could answer, Young Mi interrupted.

“Taeyong, stop with the mumbling, it tires me out tremendously, I have told you many times before. Now, would you be a dear and sing for me, son?”

Taeyong let out a small accepting sigh. “Alright mother.”

So Taeyong quickly made his way to the other side of the big open living space, which resembled their living room. He sat down and impatiently waited for his mother to join him on the armchair next to him. When she was finally seated, Taeyong began to sing. But as he was so impatient, wanting to get this over with quickly so he could continue with his request, he kind of rushed through the song. Mother Young Mi got a strong wave of magic over her in about a second, turning her younger in an instant, though she did not appreciate the pace...

“Ugh, Taeyong, why are you in such a rush?”

“But mother, I honestly need to ask you something. As I am turning eighteen tomorrow, I just really wanted to ask you something I have been dreaming of my entire life!”

“Taeyong, cut to the chase, I don’t have all day.” Mother was impatient.

Taeyong let out an impatient and at the same time excited sound. “I want to see the floating lights!”

“What?”

“I was hoping you would please take me to see the floating lights?”

“Oh, flower, I think you mean the stars. You can just see those from your balcony, why would you want to go outside for that?”

“No, I think you misunderstand, I’m not talking about the stars,” Taeyong started frustrated.

“These lights only appear once a year on the evening of my birthday. Only on my birthday. I’ve watched them from my window every year, but my biggest dream is to see them from up close. I need to find out what they are, I feel like they are somehow connected to me…”

“Taeyong, what are you talking about??”

“I want to see them in person and not just from my window.” Taeyong concluded with hope in his eyes.

“You want to go outside? Taeyong, think for a moment, you’re still so young and fragile. You know why we stay up in this tower, to keep you safe from all danger and harm. Why would you want to go outside? You have everything you would want here, nothing to be afraid of. And you want to leave to go and look for it?” Mother Young Mi asked, aggravated.

“But—” Taeyong tried to say something, though his mother just continued.

“Shhh, trust me dear, mother knows best.” She made a statement and waited a moment to let the impact resound.

“I’ve told you many times it’s a scary world out there, I don’t know why you seem to keep forgetting, Taeyong.”

“But mother—”

“Soon, my dear, but not yet. You’re not ready. Something would go wrong, one way or another. You could get mugged, kidnapped by thugs, or worse! Get poisoned, infected by the plague and left for dead! Why don’t you run into some cannibals or get strangled by snakes?

“No, mother—” Taeyong tried to object.

“Oh, don’t forget about men with pointy teeth and sharp claws! But don’t you worry, dear. Mother is right here, I will protect you. Just stay with mommy, everything will be fine and you’ll be safe, darling.” Mother Young Mi paused for a second, looked her son in the eyes adamantly and sighed. Then she brought her hand up to her son’s face, brushed one of his locks behind his ear and continued.

“You must think, what do I know? It’s not like I cared for you all your life. Why don’t you leave then, if you think I deserve it? Be my guest, but don’t come back when it’s too late. You’ll see, my boy”

“Mother, that’s not what I—” Taeyong tried to tell her, but to no avail. Mother went on, stepping back.

“You know nothing of the world, you wouldn’t survive on your own, my son. You’re too naive, immature and clumsy! Look at your sloppy appearance, you only have one attire to wear. You think you can go outside like this? They’ll eat you up alive out there!” Taeyong’s mother sighed again, her tone had turned condescending.

“I’m just saying this because I love you, dear. Mother understands, I’m here to help you and guide you. I only have one request for you, Taeyong.” The mother stepped closer to her son and put both of her hands on his shoulders.

“Don’t ever ask to leave this tower again.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened before he brought his head down. “Yes, mother.” Taeyong said with a hidden sigh. But what about seeing the lights? He thought about them silently, longingly.

“I love you, my dear, don’t forget that.” Mother said.

“I love you more.” Was Taeyong’s standard answer, and this time was no different.

Taeyong knew his mother only had his best interests in mind. He knew she loved him dearly, so of course he had to listen to her.

“You know I hate fighting with you, Taeyong. I just hope you understand my intentions. I just want you safe dear.” His mother said.

“I know, mother.” Taeyong answered and she pulled him in a tight hug.

“Alright, I have to leave now to find some vegetables for lunch. I will be back soon, darling. Stay safe, okay?” She finished and Taeyong sang once more to bring the vines to life.

Hours later found Taeyong sitting on his four-poster bed, curled up in a ball. Doyoung was trying to comfort him silently, also curled up in a ball, on the top of Taeyong’s head. He had turned a warm and soft yellow, trying to calm his friend’s mind and cheer him up.

Taeyong sighed again, “So, that’s it? I guess I’m never seeing them in person. I can just say goodbye to my dream now, right Doyoungie?” He heard the chameleon let out a tiny whine in response.

“Then, what now? I know mother is just looking out for me, she only wants the best for me, which is to keep me safe. Right?” Doyoung let out another sound, but it did sound a little brisk.

“I should just find something else to ask her for my birthday then, it might distract me.” Taeyong concluded in a soft voice, with a sad undertone.

Doyoung jumped from his head to his shoulder and then to his stomach, while Taeyong moved to lay on his back to stare at the ceiling, before curling up again.

An idea came to him while watching his paintings, “That’s it!” He exclaimed, before abruptly sitting up again. Doyoung just watched expectantly from his lap now, his skin back to a natural green.

Taeyong took him in his palms and whispered excitingly, “What if I ask her for new paint? Those from the white shells mother once brought home. She won’t object to this idea, right?” Taeyong’s eyes turned insecure, but Doyoung gave him a confident huff, so it must be worth trying.

“Go on and wait on my bed, I’ll ask her now!” He told his little friend, who nodded in agreement. So Taeyong got up and tried to breathe in confidence with each step he took down the stairs from his upper tower room.

Mother Young Mi was busy in the kitchen area, when Taeyong entered. “Mother?” He started.

“Yes, flower? Are you hungry? Because I’m making sweet potato soup! I know this is your favourite, darling. And I hate it when we fight, it makes me feel like I’m having all the fault in this.”

“Mother, I-” Taeyong tried interrupting.

“Of course, I don’t have the blame here, I’m just doing my best as any mother would do, raising their child alone.” Mother Young Mi kept going, laughing loudly.

“But mother, I just want to ask— please just listen to me. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said earlier and—”

Young Mi sighed before interrupting Taeyong once more, “I hope you’re not still talking about those stars.”

“They’re floating lights, and yes, because I just wanted to tell you—”

“I thought we ended our discussion about that, Taeyong.” Young Mi sounded a little stricter now.

“No, mother, I’m just saying that I—”

“Sweetheart, we’re done talking about this.”

“But if you’d just let me speak”

“Taeyong—”

“Oh come on, I just want to ask for—”

“Enough about the lights Taeyong! You should learn to listen to me when I say no! You are not leaving this tower ever!” Mother Young Mi yelled towards her son. Taeyong was visibly shaken now, eyes getting watery, trying to stand tall. He’d just wanted to ask about the paint.

Mother Young Mi realised that she might have been a bit… brute this time. “Great, another thing I did wrong.” Taeyong heard her mumble something else after that sounded a lot like she was saying that she was a bad guy now.

Taeyong stayed quiet for a few moments, still shaken up. He looked towards his treasured painting of the golden lights on the wall and sighed.

“I just wanted to tell you, mother, that I found something else to ask you for my birthday. I— I wasn’t going to bring it up again…” He told her softly and his mother looked up.

“Do you remember that paint you once gave me? From those white shells? I was wondering if you’d agree with that idea. I just— thought it would be better than the uhm,” Taeyong swallowed quickly, “stars.”

All this time he had been watching the floor in front of his feet, too uncomfortable to look his mother in the eye. Right now he just felt like curling up again in a ball and having Doyoung comfort him, like the little chameleon was so good at.

His mother sighed deeply, “That is around a three-day-trip, Taeyong. But alright, if that’ll make you happy, then I agree.”

At this, Taeyong looked up again, hope shining through his big, green eyes.

Mother Young Mi approached him, “Are you sure you’re going to be fine on your own, darling?” Now she took her son in a loose embrace.

“I’m sure I will. I know I’m safe here in this tower.”

“Alright then, I will be back in three days.”

Taeyong sighed when he saw his mother disappear through the trees at the edge of the valley for the second time that day. Suddenly, he felt very tired, what was he going to do now?

He heard Doyoung come down the stairs and skip towards him. “You heard all of that, didn’t you, Doyoungie?” Taeyong asked his small friend, crouching down in front of the other and burying his face in between his knees, bringing his arms around his legs.

Doyoung let out a small whine and nodded softly. Slowly, he came closer and jumped on the other’s knee. By now Taeyong had let himself fall back onto his butt on the floor. His clothes flowed out around him and he realised his mother was right. He did only have one outfit to wear.

Looking up at his reflection in the mirror close by, he regarded his lilac sleeves and followed them up to his shoulders and chest. Underneath the outside layer, he had on a white shirt that hugged his torso comfortably. The designs on his outer tunic were elegant in soft pink and purple colours mixed with beige, the patterns swirling down the shirt, ending somewhere around his mid-thigh. His matching trousers were the perfect size, not so tight as he was able to move around freely.

The chameleon nudged him out of his deep thoughts. Taeyong sighed, “You’re right, Doyoungie, I shouldn’t let this become something to be worried or insecure about. It’s not like I am going anywhere, right?” He chuckled bitterly. Doyoung made a sound in protest. “I’m sorry, my friend. Thank you for trying to cheer me up, though.”

Doyoung jumped back onto Taeyong’s shoulder, “Let’s go upstairs, Doyoungie.”

About an hour or so later, Taeyong was brought out of his light slumber by a clattering noise outside his tower and his little chameleon friend raising alarm in surprised squeaks. Immediately alarmed, Taeyong forgot about his nap and jumped out of the bed, moving down the stairs with Doyoung following right behind him.

The noises became louder the closer Taeyong got to the big window in the living room. Slowly, he approached. “Is mother coming back already? No, she would call out for me, strange…” He wondered aloud _._

Many thoughts raced through his mind, until he realised what was happening exactly outside his tower when he looked out and downwards quickly. A person was climbing his tower with an arrow in his hands, Taeyong gasped and backed away quickly. Someone was trespassing his tower. For the first time in his life, someone had found his tower! He looked around quickly and grabbed the first thing he saw that could aid him in defence. His favourite frying pan.

Taeyong hid behind a pillar next to the big window and waited with bated breath for the moment the stranger would enter his home. His heartbeat loud in his chest, upon the loud sounds of metal and stone clanking together. Louder and louder each second.

When the trespasser finally crossed the window ledge and jumped inside, Taeyong waited a few seconds to assess this person and his next actions. Now that he could take a closer look, he saw that it was another male. But the only thing he did when he entered was let out a big sigh and mumble some words.

“Ah, finally alone.” Taeyong heard him say in a low voice.

 _Not really alone._ Taeyong thought, the man didn’t even seem to think about any possible inhabitants living in this tower, which played to Taeyong's advantage. The stranger moved to remove the satchel from around his body and before he could take out what it held secret, Taeyong got tired of waiting -and honestly, too anxious at this point- and jumped from behind the pillar. With one swift movement and all of his strength focused on his frying pan, Taeyong knocked the guy out cold.

After hiding for a good few minutes behind his pillar to make sure the stranger was truly unconscious, Taeyong dared approaching him. Though not before little Doyoung went out to check on the man lying on the floor on his stomach. After the chameleon squeaked as a sign of ‘ _OK, it’s safe_ ’ Taeyong stepped closer with his frying pan still stretched out.

The man looked young, maybe just a few years older than him, and well-built from what he could see of the outlines of his body underneath his clothing. His shoulders seemed broad, and he probably was a little taller than Taeyong. His outfit was simple and practical, he was wearing a what-used-to-be-white shirt underneath a patterned coat with dark pants and boots that looked to be worse for wear. His dark brown hair was ruffled by the blow and the climbing, Taeyong assumed, and his skin looked fair underneath the streaks of dirt that graced it. He looked almost… pretty, handsome in a way, if you looked past the drool coming out of the corner of his mouth and the bump on his head Taeyong gave him seconds before. If he thought any more about it, he’d almost feel guilty about hitting him. _No Taeyong, he was a trespasser, he was dangerous!_

“Okay, okay Taeyong. There is a man in your tower. There is a man in my tower and I knocked him unconscious! What am I supposed to do now?? Doyoungie, I really need some advice now, oh goodness.” Taeyong spoke out loud, talking to himself and his pet chameleon. He felt like panicking was the logical option, you don’t come across a trespasser every day. Especially not when you live in a tower in a hidden valley.

He looked at the chameleon, who’d made some kind of strangling movement with his tail around his body and went on to point with it towards the man, still on the ground. _Aha!_

“Yes, I should bind him, you’re right. That way he can’t escape and he won’t be any danger to me. Thanks, Doyoungie.”

Taeyong looked around his tower for something he could use to bind the man in a chair, did they have rope? Taeyong couldn’t remember ever having seen rope lying around. Then, a thought struck him, _the vines!_

“Doyoung, I could use the vines from the tower.” Taeyong turned back to his loyal friend, who was guarding and keeping watch over the passed-out stranger. “If I sing softly, he won’t wake up from it, I could try to keep the magic going so they won’t release him. I have to try at least.”

And so Doyoung watched in awe as Taeyong sang softly, calling the vines his way, into the tower. At first nothing happened other than the vines waking up outside of the walls. But then, slowly, they slipped inside through the open windows right towards the stranger on the floor, like Taeyong had been asking silently. They took his body carefully, lifted him and curled around the chair Taeyong had placed next to him before.

Taeyong could feel the magic thrumming through him, though he felt it like a caress, like a soft hand going through his hair lovingly. He felt the way his magic stayed and would be as long as he needed it. Just as he was about to ask Doyoung to try and wake the guy up, his eye caught something blinking in the reflection of the standing mirror nearby.

Distracted, Taeyong made his way to the stranger’s satchel that had fallen to the ground next to the balcony. He picked it up and reached inside for the object that seemed to have been calling him.

It was— beautiful -an understatement-, the jewel shone brightly in reflection of the light. Well, at least Taeyong thought it was a jewel. The golden metal held all kinds of glittering and shimmering stones -or crystals?- in a clearly designed pattern. The stones were in different sizes and colours. There was a clear silver, ruby red, small white and turquoise gems forming flowers together, and even soft pink or lilac stones. The metal was round, though too big for a bracelet, Taeyong concluded, it was absolutely gorgeous but its purpose? Taeyong wasn’t sure.

Certain, however, that the guy wasn’t waking up and if he did, he was detained, meaning Taeyong would be safe either way, Taeyong decided to let himself take some time to find out what this jewel was for. Because he was sure the comfortable metal in his hands had to be a jewel, it had to be.

Doyoungie stood to the side of the mirror, standing watch and at the same time standing judge for Taeyong’s ideas and suggestions. Just to make sure it wasn’t really a bracelet with a lock somewhere, Taeyong put his arm through it, but the round metal just dangled from his wrist.

Doyoung resolutely shook his head _no_ , definitely not a bracelet then. Maybe it was supposed to hang at the side of your waist, Taeyong thought, as he brought the jewel to his right side. He looked in the mirror, trying to see if this looked better, but a huff from his little friend next to it, told him all he should know.

Next, he held the jewel in front of him and looked at himself in the mirror, he studied his body and posture and tried to think of where to put it, when he got an idea. It could be a necklace! So Taeyong quickly brought the jewel up to his head and tried to pull it over his head, though quickly realised it was too small for that, or his head was simply too big. Now the golden jewel rested comfortably on the top of his head and when Taeyong turned to look at his little chameleon, ready to laugh at his own clumsiness, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and stopped.

His movements halted when he took in the sight in front of him, his own reflection in the mirror. It was like time had stopped. Almost, Taeyong forgot how to breathe. Without realising, he took a step closer to the mirror, two steps. With wide eyes he watched the jewel on top of his head sparkle, it seemed to be just the right size for his head. He looked… beautiful. Taeyong felt— he felt good, he liked this sudden feeling that was surging through him, like this was right and this jewel was meant to be with him.

Then, at the same time as Doyoung let out a disbelieving squeak, Taeyong shook his head out of the trance it had been in. “No, that’s ridiculous. Why would this jewel be connected to me, it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

Doyoung jumped down from the cupboard that he’d been perched on to get a better view earlier, to get closer to Taeyong.

Overwhelmed, Taeyong took the jewel in his hands and put it back in the satchel. “This has nothing to do with me, let’s see where we can hide this satchel.” Taeyong said, decidedly and purposefully ignoring his own curiosity about what the jewel was doing with the stranger.

He walked towards the stairs that went up to his room, started climbing it and stopped about a third along the way. Then, he crouched down and felt along the crease of the floorboard of the stairs until he found a certain gap. He pulled on the board until it gave away and then lifted it up enough so that he could slip the satchel underneath the stairs. Then he closed the board back down and gave it a good push until he heard it click back in.

“I don’t think even mother knows about this hidden gap, Doyoungie.” Taeyong chuckled and walked back down the staircase.

“Okay, Doyoung, let’s see if you can wake him up.” Taeyong suggested determinedly and moved himself to the pillar in the shadows.

The chameleon jumped on the chair that held the trespasser, vines still snuggly around him, and stopped when he was at his shoulder. He tried waking up the young man by slapping his tail against his cheek, but nothing happened. Taeyong kept watching nervously.

Then, Doyoung thought of nothing better than to squeak a shrill sound right into the man’s ear. It had an immediate effect as the man woke up with a startled jolt, startling Doyoung as a result and making him bolt down to the floor. Taeyong held his breath all the while, waiting for the man’s reaction.

The stranger seemed to be disoriented, blinking a few times to enhance his sight and shaking his head. “Wha— huh, wh— where am I?” He mumbled.

He seemed to have noticed Doyoung, sitting right in front of him on the floor and ready to attack if necessary, though still a good distance away. “A frog…?” he asked no one in particular.

Doyoung let out an offended cry. The man just looked around, trying to get a hold of his memories to tell him what exactly happened. Just then, Taeyong stepped out from behind his pillar and he saw the man look up at him.

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” He asked the trespasser bravely, magic still silently thrumming through him, comforting him.

“What” The man still seemed confused.

“I’ll repeat myself. Who are you and what. are. you. doing. here?”

Now, the young man made to move and only now realised the vines around his body, that were holding him captive. It’s safe to say he panicked a little bit. He let out a surprised sound and Taeyong could see his eyes frantically following the vines, leading outside, making his eyes widen in realisation.

“Are these vines? They’re… alive?” the man asked confused.

“To answer your questions: yes, and yes. Now can you please answer mine? As you probably noticed, you’re stuck and your best chance of getting out is through me.” Taeyong regarded him with a strict face.

The stranger seemed to have realised his words as well, as Taeyong could see his face morph into an unreadable and closed off expression.

“The name is Yoonoh, Jung Yoonoh. Who are you?”

Taeyong let his name roll over in his mind. Yoonoh…, alright.

“My name is Taeyong, just Taeyong.” Taeyong shared.

“Alright, just Taeyong. Now wou—” Yoonoh replied, though the other didn’t give him the chance to finish.

“Jung Yoonoh, what are you doing here in my tower? Did they send you here? Did they find out about me? Are you planning on using me? Do you—” Taeyong was interrupted this time.

“What? No. I just wanted to be alone. How would I even know you were here? Why would I want to do anything with you?” Yoonoh told him with a low voice, kind of… disinterested.

“Wait, you didn’t know about me living here when you entered the tower?” Taeyong stepped closer to Yoonoh with his pan stretched out in front of him, curious this time.

“No, I did not. Look, I was running from something, then I happened to find this valley and your tower, so I climbed it and voila, here we are. Thanks for the bump on my head, by the way.” Yoonoh raised one of his eyebrows, challenging.

“Hey, you can’t just enter my tower and expect me to be fine with it. You could be a thief, or a bandit for all I know.” Yoonoh’s eyes widened slightly, though Taeyong didn’t notice.

“So, just to be sure, you just wanted some alone time and you in no way are planning to rob my tower or kidnap me? For no particular reason…?” Taeyong needed to have the other confirm it again. _Just_ to be sure.

Yoonoh looked him dead in the eyes, “No. That’s what I’ve been telling you. Now can you get me out of these vines? They tickle.” And just then, when Yoonoh finished his sentence, one of the vines went up to his cheek and poked his dimple, before caressing through his hair. “They’re making me uncomfortable.” Yoonoh mentioned, suspicious.

Little Doyoung thought it was kind of funny and snickered a little. Meanwhile, Taeyong was just surprised. He thought back to something his mother had told him years ago. That the vines are smart and know danger when it presents itself. Here he was, a trespasser barging into his tower, and the vines… seemed to like him?

Doyoung seemed to come to the exact same conclusion and hurried himself towards Taeyong, who lifted him up in his hands to bring him closer to his face. Taeyong turned around, with his back turned to Yoonoh and started whispering.

“Doyoung, this is my chance! Can you believe it?” Taeyong started, excited though insecure. The chameleon squeaked softly in response.

“Mother is gone for three days, and now there’s this okay stranger in my living room, claiming he doesn’t know about me. He could take me! He could take me to see the lights and bring me back home before mother returns, act as my guide. I should ask him.” Taeyong concluded and Doyoung huffed a positive sign as approval.

Just when Taeyong turned back around. Yoonoh had started looking around in search of something. “Wait— where’s my satchel? Where did you put my satchel?” He asked, frantically.

“Your satchel?” Taeyong wondered, and realised he had the perfect deal. His satchel in exchange for a guided trip to the floating lights.

“Oh, right, it seemed quite valuable what you hid inside. So, let’s make a deal, Yoonoh.” Taeyong suggested.

“A deal.” Yoonoh repeated flatly, unimpressed.

“You will act as my guide and take me to see the floating lights, which will grace tomorrow night’s sky _and_ take me back safely. _Only_ _then_ will I return your satchel to you. Do we have a deal?” As Taeyong spoke, he turned towards his favourite painting, depicting the lights he was talking about, and pointed towards it to emphasise his words.

“You want to see the lantern thing they do for the prince? And you want me to be your guide? No way, no no, just give it back. Besides, I don’t think the kingdom likes me very much at the moment.” Yoonoh resolutely shook his head and refused with a scowl.

“Lanterns?” Taeyong realised, “They’re called lanterns!” He exclaimed joyfully, before hearing Yoonoh’s last words, saying _no_.

“Listen here, Jung Yoonoh,” Taeyong’s expression had turned into something fiery this time. He moved closer, Doyoung following behind and showing his teeth threateningly.

“I’ve hidden your dear satchel somewhere in this tower, but without me, you will never find it. You can tear this tower apart brick by brick and you _will_ come out empty-handed.”

Yoonoh let out a frustrated noise. “Okay, so let me get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back here and you give me back my satchel?” He asked Taeyong to confirm.

“Yes.”

Yoonoh watched him unimpressed. “Really?”

“I promise you. And I never break my promises, Yoonoh.”

“Agh, fine. I’ll take you to see the lanterns.” Yoonoh conceded.

“Seriously? Thank you!” Taeyong’s expression had changed into happiness, an entire one eighty-degree turn.

“Yeah, yeah, now can you get me out of these vines? They’re really crossing some boundaries here.” Yoonoh said, while one of the vines was trying to slip underneath his shirt.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Taeyong chuckled meekly.

He closed his eyes and focused on the magic flowing through him and tried to find the life of the vines within him. When he did, he silently thanked them and requested to release Yoonoh. When he opened his eyes, the vines had already started to swirl away back to their original positions on the outer walls of the tower. One of them even lightly caressed Taeyong’s cheek, before retreating.

Yoonoh looked on in awe, and then quickly moved his limbs and stood upright. Now that Taeyong could see his full upright posture, he was impressed. Yoonoh looked handsome and strong, though that wasn’t what Taeyong wanted to focus on. So, he went on to retrieve his frying pan and made sure Doyoung was seated securely on his shoulder.

“Good to go?” Yoonoh asked Taeyong when he made his way towards the window where he had entered the tower.

Taeyong nodded, “Yep, oh, I’m so excited!” he continued. Yoonoh obviously didn’t know Taeyong had never left his tower and Taeyong wanted to keep it that way. He didn’t want to show his weakness and hoped it wouldn’t become awfully clear once he was _really_ outside, that he had never actually been there.

Yoonoh lifted himself up onto the window ledge and started on his way down, carefully climbing the same way he had done before. Taeyong watched him with anticipation and then turned around to regard his soon to be empty-of-Taeyong tower. His eyes swept over the kitchen, the staircase, the living area, the fireplace, his painting of the lights on the wall, his mother’s favourite armchair, his mirror and at last, a full circle later, came back to the window.

“I can do this, Doyoungie. I can do this, oh goodness, okay.” The nerves had come back up again, but this time Taeyong took a deep breath in and out and pushed them back down. He tucked his frying pan underneath his arm and watched the green grass and the blue water in the pond and the flowers, -the flowers!!- and already edged closer to the ledge.

After making sure Doyoung was safely tucked inside the breast pocket of his shirt -and after Yoonoh had called for him “Are you coming, Taeyong? We don’t have all day.”- Taeyong closed his eyes and sang softly, beckoning for the vines. He made sure Yoonoh couldn’t hear him and then felt the vines turn into a makeshift seat underneath him. When he opened his eyes, he grabbed onto the vines securely, as they had already started moving him downwards to the ground. The vines gave him caring and loving touches, as if to say, ‘ _Don’t worry child, it’s going to be fine._ ’, and Taeyong felt comforted along the way.

Exhilaration is an understatement of what Taeyong felt when he was finally out of reach of the tower, somewhere in the air in between. Excited, he urged the vines to move faster, making Taeyong fly past Yoonoh, who was still on his way down. Then he halted abruptly when the vines tried to put him on the ground softly. He clinged onto them without realising, suddenly aware that this was really happening. Then with a soft nudge, they put him on the vast ground at last.

Taeyong let out a squeal of happiness and started running around, his feet bouncing on the soft and damp grass, he just _couldn’t believe it!_ When he jumped with his feet in the shallow part of the pond, he stopped. “I can’t believe it!” He exclaimed. The water felt cool and comfortable around his ankles and if he squinted, he could see tiny, colourful fish swimming around underneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Yoonoh had arrived on the ground, staring in wonder at the once alive vines, who had already turned back to their sleeping position. He shook his head, trying to convince himself it was nothing, and it was _not_ important. When he turned around, he saw Doyoung sit on a block of stone watching Taeyong run around.

“What, has he never seen grass before?” Yoonoh commented ironically, watching Taeyong now rolling around the bed of grass and then smelling flowers. Doyoung froze in reaction to Yoonoh’s words, and only hoped he wouldn’t guess his best friend’s secret. He couldn’t help being happy, however, at his friend finally being outside of his tower. It had taken a while.

“Let’s go, playtime is over. If you want to get to your lanterns on time, we have to leave now.” Yoonoh told Taeyong, who immediately stopped making a grass angel and reported to the other. Doyoung jumped back onto his shoulder and together with his frying pan, they finally made their way to the edge of the clearing. To the start of Taeyong’s life?

The journey through the forest started rather slow, because Taeyong was still quite insecure about leaving his tower and disobeying his mother’s wishes. Did he do the right thing?

“Mother would be so furious if she found out…” Taeyong mumbled to Doyoung, still perched on his shoulder. He squeaked in protest, and Taeyong got the feeling this is what Doyoung thought was best. Finally leaving the tower, and _finally_ on his way to see the lanterns. His worries were still not eased.

Five minutes later had Taeyong running around again, he had never felt so free before in his entire life and quickly found it to be an addicting feeling. He wanted more, he wanted to feel more. And then he realised for the first time he felt like he was living, and it was all because of leaving that tower.

They walked through the woods roaming about and Taeyong stopped at almost every new flower bush, smelling and caressing its flowers. For the first time he saw flowers and plants growing in its nature from up close! Happily, he made comments about which flower was which and what they meant, he recognised them all. Yoonoh just stood next to him and sighed, if they continued on like this, they'd never reach the kingdom in time.

Ten minutes later had him in tears, crouched against the bark of a tree with his dear Doyoung trying to calm him down and convince him it was okay, and this was the right thing.

“But I betrayed mother's trust, Doyoungie, I’m such a horrible son.” Taeyong sniffed.

Doyoung jumped into his palms once more, and this time, proudly turned into the colour purple. He got a laugh out of his best friend, but still, Taeyong wasn’t convinced.

“What should I do, Doyoungie? Mother said she would protect me, but I left, and she doesn’t know… Who will protect me now?” Taeyong whispered, embarrassed, he didn’t want Yoonoh, who was standing and waiting to the side, to hear. Doyoungie exclaimed a powerful huff and Taeyong chuckled.

“That’s incredibly sweet, I know you’re my most loyal friend. But would you be able to fend off big and dangerous thugs?” Now Doyoung looked down in understanding.

“Do you think I should trust Yoonoh?” Taeyong asked. “It’s not like I have much of a choice, right?” The little chameleon gave a small lick to Taeyong’s wrist, a sign of trust, and companionship. It seemed as if he wanted to say, _“Let’s have a little faith, my friend.”_

“Are you sure?” Taeyong needed his friend to confirm one last time. So Doyoung huffed again, while nodding _yes_ and Taeyong moved to stand up.

At the same time, Yoonoh strutted towards them, sighing.

“Look, you wanted this, right? Why the regret? I can always take you back, then you can give me back my satchel and your mother will never find out.” Yoonoh offered sternly. It was clear he was tired and had had enough of Taeyong’s woes.

However, Taeyong’s first reaction to his offer to take him back to his tower, was a very clear no.

“What, no. I _will_ see the lanterns. I _will_ see them up close.” Taeyong made up his mind. He cast his worries about his mother to the back of his mind and resumed their walk, marching past Yoonoh even, to prove his point.

Yoonoh just rolled his eyes at Taeyong’s reaction.

Now that their journey had really begun, they travelled through the woods, passed small creeks, encountered a number of valleys, climbed a few hills and crossed some clearings. Everything was calm and fine, until it wasn’t anymore and Yoonoh and Taeyong almost got attacked by a shower of arrows whizzing in their direction.

The arrows, in fact, belonged to a group of ruffians nearby, who were so bored that they decided to hold a match to see who could send the most arrows through a single apple. Though in the end, they were disagreeing so much on the winner, that they ended up aborting that mission and started to send arrows across the clearing, into the trees instead.

Yoonoh and Taeyong stumbled upon the edge of the clearing, right when the arrows had been sent their way -unknowingly. They received their warning in the form of a single arrow that plunged into the tree next to them. Immediately, Yoonoh grabbed Taeyong, pulled him into his chest and threw himself behind the trunk of another tree nearby. Not a second later, dozens of arrows came flying their way. Taeyong was plastered to Yoonoh’s front, frozen in shock and fear, his eyes closed firmly.

When the arrows stopped, Yoonoh was the first to move. “We need to move, now, before more arrows come this way.” He told Taeyong, who was still frozen in his stance.

Yoonoh looked at him, “Hey, it’s alright. We’re fine now, the arrows have stopped coming but there might be more if we don’t move now. Come on, Taeyong.” He talked in on him and slowly Taeyong found himself to be able to move.

Once they moved out of range of the arrows, they could see the group of ruffians from the side of the clearing. Instead of sending more arrows through the trees, the group of men just seemed to be playing around with each other. Instead of scary, Taeyong found them to be endearing, at least for now, it was fun watching the young men messing around. They almost seemed like one big family, laughing with each other.

The group seemed to pull Taeyong in, and before he knew it, he had stepped forward into the field and made his presence known. Yoonoh tried to stop him, but it was too late. The group had noticed them already.

Which was exactly why, after only a few seconds, Yoonoh and Taeyong were surrounded by a group of around ten guys, though from up close, they looked a little less friendly. Especially with their swords and other weapons pointed at the duo in the middle, they were surrounded in a circle.

“Thanks a lot, Taeyong. Tell me why again, did you think greeting them would be a good idea?” Yoonoh murmured sarcastically.

“I’m sorry?” Taeyong stammered, his heart beating fast in his chest.

One of the tough-looking guys spoke up. He was tall and very intimidating. “What are you doing here, sneaking around the woods?”

“Who are you two?” Another smaller one questioned.

Yoonoh answered, “Now, now, there’s no reason to be so hostile towards some simple travellers. We are no threat to you. In fact, we were just passing this clearing when we almost got stabbed by your arrows. Thanks for that.”

The bandits now started murmuring, talking through each other.

“Hey guys!” Someone was calling them from afar, standing at the entrance of a tavern Taeyong hadn’t noticed before. “We baked cookies and muffins! When you’re done messing around, come inside. There’s tea as well!” It was a young boy, Taeyong noticed, even from afar he could see his charming smile and eyes crinkling up into half-moons.

Now the entire group of ruffians was distracted by the prospect of tea and cookies. All of them, except for one. He was tall and wore several bandages around his torso underneath his loose shirt, and around his arms proudly. He seemed older and only had his jacket loosely around him above the shirt. Still, he stepped up and through the group, who made way for him immediately.

“I recognise you.” he said to Yoonoh. “Oh yes, aren’t you that thief they’re looking for?” He smirked now, and Taeyong gulped, looking between the two men. Everyone’s attention was focused back on them.

Yoonoh let out an awkward chuckle, though his expression was a challenging one.

“Thief? What thief? You must be mistaken, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He assured the other. Now that Taeyong looked closely, the tall ruffian wasn’t that much taller than Yoonoh.

“Let’s settle this inside, why don’t we? The tea will get cold.” The guy grinned sharply now, and motioned for his friends. “Take him inside.”

Some of the bandits took hold of Yoonoh, who struggled with all his might, but he was overpowered, as they dragged him towards the tavern. Taeyong protested, but it was all in vain as the rest of the group left as well, and it seemed like they had all forgotten about Taeyong, who scrambled after them with his frying pan clutched tightly in his hands. He tried calling them, asking them to give him back his guide, but it seemed like all his efforts went over their heads.

Frustrated, Taeyong pushed the door open when he arrived and entered the tavern. If he ignored all the weapons stashed to the side and hung on some of the walls like decoration, the tavern looked almost homey. In fact, it actually did if he focused on the delicious smell coming from the doors to the kitchen, his stomach grumbled and he realised it had been a while since he’d eaten.

There were tables and chairs all around the open space, to the left there was a counter with a bar and after those, doors to the kitchen. In the middle of it all, most of the group was surrounding Yoonoh and grabbing onto his limbs, talking about some kind of reward? Taeyong was very confused, but Yoonoh seemed to be in danger, so he had to find a way out.

The bandits kept arguing about whether or not Yoonoh was the wanted thief the palace guards were chasing or not. Taeyong realised he probably _was_ , considering the jewel he found and Yoonoh mentioning running from something before he found the tower. Yoonoh had probably been running from the palace guards, he’d have to ask him about it later.

“Well, we’ll find out quickly if you are or not. YangYang, go and get the guards.” The tall one with the bandages ordered, watching Yoonoh try to get away. A smaller, lankier boy nodded quickly and raced out the door. This was not good.

“Guys stop, please!” Taeyong asked. And then he pleaded, “Give me back my guide, hey, stop!” and then he raised his voice. “Let him go!”

But nothing he did or said, made the bandits look up at him or give him any of their time. So, Taeyong had to be smart about it, he looked around for something to use to his advantage and then moved swiftly.

On the other side of the room, Taeyong saw a large gong hanging on the wall that would help him make a loud noise. So Taeyong raised his pan and with all his might, threw it at the gong, landing right in the middle and making a sound so loud, it startled everyone. _Good_ , Taeyong thought and made sure he was the first to speak up, after retrieving his kitchen weapon and jumping on top of a chair.

“Would you stop it now?! Give me back my guide! Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?” All eyes were on Taeyong this time, some bandits even turned around to face him, though Taeyong just continued in a loud voice.

“I’m just trying to chase mine and this is the only opportunity I’ll probably ever get! I’ve wanted to see those lanterns for my whole life and _he_ is taking me there, so now that it’s finally happening, I’m not letting you steal my guide!” Taeyong exclaimed and pointed at Yoonoh. He was panting now, and hoped he got his message across as he jumped down from the chair.

The tall bandit with the bandages approached him slowly with a threatening scowl and Taeyong froze up in fear, frying pan stretched out in front of him. Before the dangerous guy could lash out at him, however, he did the opposite. He placed a light hand on Taeyong’s shoulder and spoke softly, though it was so quiet you could hear every word he said.

“Did I ever have a dream, you ask? Look around. You must think we’re some lowlife group of thugs, stealing and fighting our way through life, right?” The threatening aura faded away and started giving way for a warm and comforting personality shining through the bandit’s armour. It made Taeyong relax as he lowered his pan, and the man went on.

“Well, I admit, you’re right about the thug part, we’re not really that innocent if I’m honest.” The man chuckled and the other ruffians joined him. A warm smile graced the taller’s lips and Taeyong watched in astonishment.

“We all have dreams, we’re just not fortunate enough _yet_ to make them come true.” He continued, “Now look again, my friend.” And look again Taeyong did, past the armoury, scruffed up faces and once threatening expressions, he now saw young men and boys his age with curiosity and hope in their eyes. _We all have dreams,_ he‘d said, and Taeyong recognised himself sharing the same sentiment. Taeyong found himself smiling brightly and the men around him just smiled back, violence and threats towards Yoonoh completely forgotten as well. Yoonoh just watched the scene unfold in front of him in a mix of confusion and awe. At this point it looked like the guys surrounding him were holding his hands more than they were detaining him.

“My name is Johnny,” the tall bandit said. “And this is my family, we welcome you to our humble tavern, chaser of dreams.” he said playfully and Taeyong cracked a smile.

“You must be hungry, come sit and fill your stomachs. Then tell me about your dream.” Johnny said, and motioned for the other boys to follow his lead.

They let go of Yoonoh, who joined Taeyong at the table, and everyone gathered around them, introducing themselves and sharing stories and freshly baked goods that came in from the kitchen at the hands of a young man named Kun. The boy from before with the charming eye-smile, whose name was Jeno, followed after him and poured everyone a hot cup of tea.

Doyoung had climbed out of his breast pocket and made his presence known, catching the attention of some of the younger boys. They cooed and laughed when Doyoung enthusiastically accepted a piece of Taeyong’s lemon muffin.

Soon Taeyong was finding out all about the boys’ dreams. Every single one of them. Johnny had always wanted to be a concert pianist, playing him a joyful tune on the piano against the wall. Kun and Jeno wanted to open a bakery and Taeyong agreed, loving the pastries they offered him. Renjun wanted to be an interior designer, and told him Johnny had let him design the tavern’s interior. Mark wanted to be a florist, Jungwoo an actor, and Ten told him his dream was to be a renowned fashion designer and dress the royal family. Sicheng chose for a simple life and wanted to open a knitting shop, which made Taeyong gush with him for a second as he shared a passion for handwork too. And the list went on, Yuta wanted to be a poet, Xiaojun a painter, and Hendery just wanted to open up a shelter for all lost and hurt animals. Donghyuck sang him a beautiful song, and made it clear his dream was to be a singer. Young Shotaro wanted to be a dancer, just like YangYang and Yukhei just wanted to find his true love. At last, Jaemin said he didn’t have a big dream yet, he just wanted to be happy in life and collect as many cat plushies as he could.

Like he’d felt at the beginning, when he saw this group of boys messing around in the field, they were just like one big family, they looked out for each other, and helped each other in need, but to survive they had to let go of some decent behaviours. Taeyong bonded with them immediately and told them about his biggest wish.

“I want to see the lanterns when they light up the night’s sky, tomorrow evening. My entire life, I have watched them from afar each year, and now that I am finally turning eighteen, I want to see them from up close. That’s why Yoonoh is acting as my guide, I obviously don’t know the way.” Taeyong ended with a chuckle.

The boys around him hummed in understanding, some even commenting about what a lovely dream he had. More food arrived from the kitchen and the duo joined the friendly ruffians for dinner.

“Please dig in, if you’re going to the Kingdom of Eldora tomorrow, you’ll need plenty of energy. I wish you good luck with your dream, Taeyong. Yoonoh, you didn’t tell us what yours was? You don’t have a dream?” Johnny asked Yoonoh.

Now all eyes were on Taeyong’s guide, and Yoonoh turned quiet, where he had joined in small conversation before.

“Ah, well, I used to have a dream once,” He started, deciding for once, sharing a little piece of himself that was the truth, wasn’t always a bad thing. “I always wanted to find my family, but now that I’m older, I think just being happy would be nice.” Yoonoh looked up at the rest from where he had been looking down, not wanting to directly face the others as he shared something so secret. He found them to be watching him in understanding more than with pity in their eyes, and Yoonoh found that he actually might like this bunch of ruffians.

Before they could continue their cozy setup, however, the door barged open with YangYang exclaiming he had found the palace guards. The ruffians jumped upright, the tavern in chaos now at the prospect of the guards entering the place. Now everyone remembered Johnny asking YangYang to get the guards a while ago and quickly, Johnny ushered Taeyong -who had quickly grabbed Doyoung and hid him back inside his breast pocket- and Yoonoh to the bar and around the corner and told them about a hidden enclosure nearby.

“Look for a patch of grass surrounded and closed off by thick trees, if you follow a subtle trail of small branches on the trees with knitted jackets, you will find it.” Johnny whispered hurriedly.

The head of the guard entered the tavern not even moments later, dragging two identical bandits with him. “Where is Jung? Where is that lousy thief?” He ordered more than asked. Taeyong heard Yoonoh gulp next to him and looked back towards Johnny, who’d joined the back of the group again.

“Is this the thief you're looking for?” Yukhei asked the head of the guard, pushing Renjun forward by his shoulders.

“No, I am the thief you’re looking for!” Yuta exclaimed, and soon all the ruffians were offering themselves up, confusing the guards and making sure Yoonoh and Taeyong had an opportunity to get away.

Amidst the chaos, Johnny subtly looked at the hidden duo and told them to leave through the back exit pointing in its direction. Taeyong made a gesture with his hands out of thanks and Johnny nodded warmly in return. Yoonoh then took Taeyong by the arm and together they ran towards the back exit and out of the tavern.

Just like Johnny had said, they found the hidden enclosure of trees, but not before running from the guards first. It seemed like they had got tired of the ruffians’ lies pretty quickly and somehow tracked their trail, following behind them at a fast pace.

Taeyong ran next to Yoonoh, panting heavily, when suddenly a white horse with a rider jumped out from the bushes in front of them. It was the captain of the guard, who immediately laughed loudly in assumption that he finally had Yoonoh all to himself, before he slid off the horse.

“I’ve got you, Jung, all to myself! And this time, you’re not getting away.” he exclaimed and took out his sword.

Before he could swipe it at Yoonoh, Taeyong had thrown him his frying pan to defend himself with. Since Taeyong was not really the target with the large sum of money on his head, he found he could slip away easily to the side.

Yoonoh was no ordinary fighter, Taeyong noticed, as he ducked away, calculated, at the guard’s blows. Then he raised the kitchen weapon and fended off the other’s attacks with surprising ease. After some tries, he successfully hit the head of the captain who fell unconscious and Yoonoh grabbed Taeyong to run away from the two. The horse, however, chased after them, snapping its mouth in anticipation and threat of catching them.

“Let’s split up!” Taeyong suggested, in order to make it more difficult for the horse to catch them both. Yoonoh agreed and ran in the opposite direction telling Taeyong to continue towards the enclosure, their safe hiding place. His reasoning was right, as the white horse followed him and left Taeyong alone. Taeyong, still running along the hidden path, followed the knitted branches -probably Sicheng’s-, though he was worried about Yoonoh. He decided to trust his instincts and wait for his guide at their safe spot.

When Taeyong arrived at the hidden enclosure, he found that Johnny had been right, it _would_ be difficult to find for those who didn’t know about it or how to look for it. The branches of the trees were so thick and close together, it was almost impossible to imagine any grass patch hidden among it. Though as Taeyong pushed the last knitted branch aside, the path opened up to him and he found the hidden spot at last.

The small patch or clearing was just big enough to house a small group of people searching for a safe spot to rest for the night, with several tree trunks lying around what used to be a campfire before. Taeyong sighed in relief, he had made it, but entirely relieved, he wasn’t, for he had no idea if Yoonoh had been able to mislead the horse and escape from it.

So Taeyong sat down on the tree bark and checked on Doyoung while he waited for Yoonoh. The small chameleon had hidden himself inside Taeyong’s breast pocket and now, as he felt Taeyong’s heart rate slowly calm down, crept out from under his coat.

“Doyoungie, are you okay?” Taeyong asked softly. “That was a wild ride, huh? I just hope Yoonoh will join us soon, I can’t really go on without him.” He finished.

The chameleon huffed softly and Taeyong watched it put a paw on its tiny heart and let out a sigh. “I know, Doyoungie, but we can rest now. Maybe Yoonoh can make a fire, then we’ll all be warm for the night. Is that alright?” Doyoung squeaked an _okay_ and Taeyong moved his hands upwards, for the chameleon to settle in a ball on top of his head.

Not much later, Yoonoh stumbled through the trees and into the enclosure, without a horse following him, luckily. However, his expression was one of pain and he groaned, grasping his shoulder with his other hand.

Taeyong gasped softly, “Yoonoh, what happened? Are you okay?” he asked, worried and up on his feet immediately.

Yoonoh groaned again, “M— my shoulder, I threw myself behind a tree, not knowing there was a rock next to it. Argh— at least I managed to get away from the horse.” Yoonoh’s face contorted in pain and Taeyong knew what he had to do. He had a gift after all.

Finally free from the guards, Taeyong was glad they had a safe place to rest for the night. But Yoonoh was hurt, and Taeyong was determined to help him. And honestly, it was maybe the only thing he could do for the other, he thought quietly.

“Yoonoh, please sit down. Try not to move your shoulder too much, I’ll help you.” Taeyong guided him towards the tree bark and sat him down against it, on the soft grass.

“What are y—” Yoonoh tried asking, his face had turned pale and showed how much pain he was in, though Taeyong was sure he was trying to hide it.

“Shh, it’s okay. Just, don’t freak out, okay?” He pleaded, while kneeling down next to him and moving his hands to Yoonoh’s shoulder, softly placing them on the area that was hurt.

Doyoung, meanwhile, had jumped onto Yoonoh’s bent knee, giving him a supporting squeak.

And then, Taeyong began to sing slowly, with a soft and delicate voice.

 _“Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine.”_ At first, nothing happened and Yoonoh just watched him singing, confused. It didn’t surprise him that Taeyong sang about flowers, but how was it supposed to help him?

“ _Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine…_ ” Suddenly, Taeyong’s hair began to glow from the roots to the tips and his golden locks lit up the small enclosure. Yoonoh’s eyes widened, and then he felt a soft and warm feeling slowly overtaking the pain in his shoulder, it tickled just a little bit.

“ _Heal what has been hurt, change the fates’ design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine._ ”

Yoonoh couldn’t look away from his shoulder, which was lighting up under Taeyong’s hands. The soothing feeling got stronger, and Yoonoh felt like something was happening there. He also couldn’t stop looking at Taeyong’s face, which looked so serene while concentrated at the same time. He almost looked like an angel, surrounded with all this warm light. Yoonoh told himself to focus on what was really important here, and he looked back to his shoulder.

The light was ebbing away as Taeyong finished singing, and slowly, his hair stopped glowing. Taeyong leaned back and took his hands off his shoulder, when Yoonoh realised his pain was gone. He just about noticed the glow in his hands had been forming flowers, before it ebbed away.

“Huh, wha—”

“You said you wouldn’t freak out.” Taeyong interrupted, shyly.

“I’m not. Wh— what just happened, how— why is my pain gone. You—” Yoonoh was obviously trying to understand the meaning of Taeyong’s singing and hair- and hand-glowing…

“Okay, let’s take it one thing at a time.” Taeyong suggested.

“Your hair glows.” Yoonoh started and Taeyong nodded.

“It doesn’t just glow…” Yoonoh now realised and Taeyong looked away shyly, wringing his hands in his shirt. Doyoung had jumped back next to where Taeyong was sitting on the tree bark and gave Taeyong a comforting rub against his thigh.

Yoonoh slowly tried moving his shoulder, and found it as good as new, like he had never been hurt in the first place. Then he stood up and sat down next to the other.

“So your hair glows when you sing, and it heals?” He said in wonder, and before Taeyong could answer him, Yoonoh continued. “What happens with your hands though?”

“My healing works through my hands,” Taeyong explained, “Imprints of a lily flower shine from the palms of my hands when I sing. And I guess, that’s when the magic happens.”

“I see,” Yoonoh’s expression was one of understanding and Taeyong felt relieved.

“Thank you, Taeyong. Really.” The other said, and Taeyong could see the sincerity in his eyes.

“How long has it been like that?” Yoonoh asked, curiosity taking over.

“Ever since I was born, I guess.” Taeyong wondered if he should tell him his story, and decided Yoonoh already knew the most important part. It was time to trust him completely.

“When I was younger, people tried to take me away and keep my power to themselves. A gift like this has to be protected, which is why I never— that’s why my mother never let me—” Taeyong was nervous about admitting he never left his tower, would Yoonoh judge him for it? Should he tell him?

Taeyong cleared his throat softly, he didn’t dare to look at the other. “That’s why I never left my—”

“You’ve never left that tower.” Yoonoh finished for him, finally understanding Taeyong’s situation. This revelation shocked him, but suddenly, so many other small things he came to know and notice about Taeyong started to make sense. His overwhelming love for flowers and his need to stop at every single bush, yesterday. Then there was his enthusiasm and lack of judgment about dangerous ruffians. He might have seemed a bit naive sometimes, but it all made sense. Taeyong had never left that tower.

As much as he was shocked, it made him want to protect Taeyong more. He was innocent, brave and so kind and spirited. At first Yoonoh had thought it might have been a front, like he had his own, but now he realised this was the real Taeyong and he just didn’t know about the world.

“So, after you see the lanterns, what then? Are you still going back to that tower?”

“No!” Taeyong exclaimed immediately, before following with a quieter “Yes? Ugh, I really don’t know.” He sighed in confusion.

“Well, thank you again for healing me and trusting me with your secret, Taeyong.”

“I couldn’t just stand there and watch you being in pain, while you’re helping me go after my dream, Yoonoh.”

Yoonoh was silent for a few seconds and looked down. Maybe it was time he let his walls down, like the other had with him.

“Jaehyun. My real name… It’s Jaehyun.” And then ~~Yoonoh~~ Jaehyun, looked back up and Taeyong could see a hint of insecurity in his eyes for the first time. It felt like he was just now, getting to know the real Yoonoh and it started with his real name.

“Jaehyun…” Taeyong tested the name out on his lips. “I like it.” He urged Jaehyun to continue as it seemed like he wanted to share more and he moved himself along the wood, closer to the other. Jaehyun sighed before telling his story.

“I grew up in an orphanage near the lands of the kingdom and there was this bookstore I liked visiting whenever I sneaked out of the house to the kingdom. The owner welcomed me every time and always let me sit in his chair. I read about anything and everything I could get my hands on. But my favourite stories were those of this one captain of the guard at the palace. He was kind of a war hero, a legend so to speak, and me as a kid without a figure to look up to, I admired him so much. So I wanted to be like him, brave, selfless, strong, helping everyone where I could.” Jaehyun paused, before continuing.

“That’s why I took his name and I guess over the years I became this persona, while my real self has very tall walls up. I’ve been alone ever since I can remember, the other kids in the orphanage were nice, but how do you make friends if everyone gets adopted and you’re the only one staying?”

Taeyong frowned, expression turned a bit sad, this time.

Jaehyun chuckled, “Don’t worry this is not a sob story, and I’m completely fine with it. This is just how it is…” Taeyong nodded and urged him to go on.

Then he went on, “I never intended on becoming a thief, in fact it goes against every value I hold dear, but it just sort of happened. Surviving on the streets is hard, even more so when you’re alone. So after I was old enough, I just left the orphanage and tried to find a life for myself.”

He found that now that he was talking about it, he wanted to keep going, he didn’t have anyone else to talk about this to.

“Actually, the only reason I was even running away with a stolen crown, is because I was forced to make a deal with two other thugs. They are dangerous and I hope you’ll never have to come across them.” Jaehyun spoke quietly, and raked a hand through his brown locks.

When he brought his arm down, Taeyong noticed something glimmering on his arm and entranced, he brought his hand towards it. Jaehyun noticed and moved his sleeve up so he could have a good view of his bracelet. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Taeyong caressed the golden bracelet with his fingers softly, and now he understood why he felt like it drew him in. “It carries magic,” He said softly, “I can feel it thrumming inside.”

He looked up at Jaehyun, who watched him in wonder. “I got this from my mother. Apparently, she gave it to me when she left me at the orphanage, but the caregivers always said she didn’t mean to leave me there.” He said. “This is the only thing I have left of my family.”

“It’s beautiful, Jaehyun.” Taeyong unfolded the other's sleeve now and covered it back up. Then he studied Jaehyun’s face and added softly, “You can't get it off, right?”

Jaehyun watched him, perplexed. “Wh— how did you know?”

“I don’t know, something just tells me it’s with you for a good reason. You should treasure it.” Taeyong said dreamily.

Then Jaehyun cleared his throat, looking down, and changed the subject. “So what did you do up in that tower for all those years? Didn’t you get bored? Didn’t you feel lonely?”

“Ah,” Taeyong chuckled nervously, “Sometimes it gets boring, yes. I mainly kept myself busy with lots of hobbies, like baking, painting, reading. I was really lonely when I was younger, because my mother would go out whenever she wanted and keep me locked away… But then it all got better once I met Doyoungie.” His voice cooed now. Taeyong looked at his best friend next to him on the trunk between him and Jaehyun, and brushed a finger over his little head. Doyoung squeaked softly in return.

“One day I found this little guy in the kitchen when my mother was out. He must have been very hungry, and he was so scared when he saw me, but I managed to calm him down and then we became the best of friends.” Taeyong explained, smiling at the end.

“I keep him hidden from my mother,” He whispered, “She doesn’t like pets, but I was so lonely… He even has his own little bed in my room.” He chuckled softly.

Jaehyun watched Doyoung now play with Taeyong’s fingers and turn a bright yellow. He watched Taeyong giggle and couldn’t help but feel a slight adoration twirl inside. _Not a good idea_ , his brain told him, but his heart just stuttered when he made another realisation.

Here they were, two lost souls sitting together around a campfire. Jaehyun revelled in the fact that maybe he wasn’t the only lonely soul growing up and that maybe, they were more alike than they thought.

Jaehyun carefully took the little chameleon in his hands, and let it sit on his palms. “Hey little guy,” He said softly. And Doyoung, feeling no threat coming his way, just curled up into a ball and sighed in satisfaction.

“I’m glad you found Doyoung and that he is able to keep you company.” Jaehyun told Taeyong sincerely and smiled.

Taeyong smiled back softly and felt something in him move at the sight of the other’s dimples popping out. “Thank you, Jaehyun.”

“And for the record, wanting to find your family is not a stupid dream.” He recalled the moment where Jaehyun had shared his dream with the group of friendly ruffians.

“I don’t think it’s entirely impossible, either. As long as you keep holding on to that.” Taeyong motioned towards Jaehyun’s bracelet on his arm and smiled softly.

“Thanks, Taeyong.” Jaehyun thanked him softly, passed Doyoung to Taeyong and then swiftly stood up.

“I’ll try to get a fire going and then go find some more wood.” He said, already crouching down with a bundle of wood in his arms.

“Be careful when you go out.” Taeyong told Jaehyun, as the first sparks lit up the campfire in warm flames.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back with you two.” Jaehyun said, as he turned around and slipped through one of the trees on the other side.

Taeyong watched the yellow and orange flames grow and enjoyed the warmth it provided across their enclosure.

“Well, well, look what we have here. If it isn’t my son who promised he’d listen to my words and stay in his tower.”

Taeyong got chills when he heard a dark and familiar voice calling out for him. The voice seemed like it belonged to his mother and it gave him goosebumps. And not the good kind of shivers. His suspicions got confirmed when he whirled around, face to face with Young Mi. She was wearing a cloak and already had grey streaks through her usually healthy, black hair and wrinkles had started to let their presence known on her face.

“Mother, I— wh— you— how did you find me?” Taeyong stuttered through his words, entirely shocked at her arrival to their hidden campsite. She should’ve been away, travelling to get his paint, but instead she was here!

He noticed Doyoungie wasn’t around and let out a tiny sigh of relief. He knew the chameleon had already hid himself and he was right, for the little animal was hiding among the browns of the tree bark behind him.

His mother bristled, “How did I find you? Very simple, dear, I just followed the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed it.” Her voice turned sweet, too sweet for Taeyong’s liking, he found, and now he couldn’t help noticing the guilt creeping back.

Young Mi approached him and took his arm in her grasp. “We’re going home now, flower.” Her tone sounded stern, however, Taeyong wanted to make her understand his point of view.

He refused to comply, stunned at her sudden appearance still. “Wait, please understand, I’ve been on such a wonderful journey and I’ve seen new things and met so many nice people! The world is such a beautiful place and I want to see more, please. I even met someone, he—”

Young Mi interrupted him, “Oh yes, the one whose face is on every _wanted_ poster, you think I’d be proud? Let’s go home, Taeyong.” Her tone shared her disgust and it was slightly more final, leaving less room for discussion.

“Wait, I want to see the lanterns, I have to know what they are, what significance they hold. And I- I don’t want to leave him. I think maybe— he likes me…” Taeyong tried fighting back, fighting for what he held dear, his dear dream. And perhaps fighting for this feeling that was telling him to keep Jaehyun close, for whatever reason. He knew that Jaehyun liked him, that his ruffian friends liked him. He was sure of it, he wasn’t stupid.

“You think he likes you? What, are you insane?” His mother countered sharply, mocking her.

“But I—”

“This is exactly why I never wanted you to leave in the first place. Now you’ve imagined this whole romance with a stranger, a thief you barely even know! You're too naive to be here, I told you before, Taeyong. You think he’s impressed with you? What’s there to like? Your childish mindset? He’s the first person you meet and you think he’s some prince on a white horse? Come on, now. We’re going home and that’s final.” Young Mi concluded with her harsh words.

Taeyong was used to this, he had heard her cruel dismissals before and even accepted them. No longer did he believe them, however, Mother Young mi had lied to him for years, the friends he had made were proof of that. His mother’s version of the outside world was no longer his truth. But still, he doubted, maybe the ruffians were just nice as a formality and maybe Jaehyun was just trying to be decent for now, because of the deal.

Young Mi was already turning around to take her son home when he told her something he had never said to her before.

“No! I won’t go home.” For the first time in his life, Taeyong defied his mother. Confidently at first, and then he turned apprehensive when he saw the sly and unsettling grin on her face.

“No? Oh, I see… So Taeyong knows best, now you think you’re so mature and you think you’re all grown up now, you’ve hardly been out in the real world for a full day! Oh no, but now Taeyong knows everything, you don’t need your mother anymore, fine, okay, then why don’t you give him _this_.”

Mother Young Mi threw the brown satchel with the crown at him, challenging her surprised son, who caught it with both hands.

“What? How did—”

“Isn’t this why he’s here? Go ahead, give it back, let’s see how fast he’ll scramble. You think he’ll stay? For you? Oh dear, the delusion is making me feel sick.”

With a calmer and colder tone, she added more words to her argument, “Oh dear, don’t let him trick you. Trust me, he’ll leave in the blink of an eye. One snap of your fingers and he’ll be long gone. You know that I’m right. But if you don’t believe me, fine, test it out for yourself. I’ll spare you the ‘ _I told you so.’_ ”

“I will! I will give it back to him, you’ll see.” Taeyong exclaimed, agitated now by Young Mi’s attitude. _She doesn’t know Jaehyun_.

Mother Young Mi was displeased now and took some steps back towards the trees behind her. In a clear and cold voice she said, “Don’t come crying to me when you find out he’s lying, little flower.”

Taeyong watched his mother move to leave, “Mother, wait— don’t go.”

She had already disappeared in the dark shadows before he could finish his sentence— and the only proof that she’d actually been there was the eerie whisper she left behind, waving through the trees carrying the words ‘ _mother knows best’_.

Taeyong’s mind swirled with insecurities and something else. Something edging him on to fight back. He made sure to hide the satchel behind the tree and returned to his sitting position on the horizontal bark of the tree. Just like nothing happened.

Shortly after, Jaehyun returned with his arms full of firewood, he didn’t notice the tensed atmosphere at first, expressing his genuine interest in Taeyong’s abilities. He quickly realised, though, that Taeyong’s mood seemed to have changed. He was quieter than usual.

“Hey, everything alright?” Jaehyun attempted to bring up the tension.

“Ah, I’m okay. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day for me, so I think I’ll be resting for the night now.” Taeyong made a little white lie.

“I see, and you’re right. Goodnight, Taeyong.”

“Goodnight, Jaehyun.” Taeyong said, and he turned around on the bed of grass, Doyoung in between his arms, and closed his eyes for the night.

The next morning, Taeyong woke up early, not having been able to sleep a lot due to the jitters in his stomach, because today was the big day! He would see the lanterns and finally realise his dream, oh and it’s also his birthday.

Starting from today, Taeyong was finally eighteen years old. To calm his nerves, Taeyong decided to go on a small walk around their little camp, but after some time he was startled by a sudden scream that sounded a lot like Jaehyun, making him turn back quickly.

Nothing would have prepared him for the sight that would greet him upon arrival. He saw Jaehyun turned upside down, hanging over a steady branch of the tree they had been sleeping under, and a big white horse jumping against its bark, snapping his teeth at him, appearing to try and catch him. It was the white horse from the guards! Though, as Taeyong looked around carefully, the guards were nowhere in sight and neither was their captain.

He approached quickly, and trying to avert the horse’s attention away from Jaehyun, he called out for it. “Whoa, hey, calm down. It’s okay, easy, easy. Everything’s okay!”

Somehow it seemed to work and Taeyong continued on calming the animal down, trying to figure out if it was male or female. The horse seemed confused, with its attention zeroing in on Taeyong this time. Jaehyun just watched in awe from his place up the tree.

“That’s it, you’re such a good girl! Let’s see if you have a name,” Taeyong looked at the bridle around her neck and read the name ‘Ruby’ right underneath the emblem of a golden sun.

“Ruby,” Taeyong tested the horse’s name out on his tongue, and the animal visibly changed its attitude towards him when Taeyong continued, “You’re such a good girl, Ruby. So strong, so beautiful. I bet no one ever tells you that, do they? You are such a gorgeous horse.” Taeyong told her lovingly.

Taeyong took Ruby’s head in his hands and started petting it and caressing his hands through her hair, lightly massaging it. Ruby seemed to greatly appreciate this gesture as she whinnied out of delight.

“You’ve been so busy, right? Chasing this thief around the forest? And you’ve done such a good job! You found him in the end, didn’t you?” Taeyong continued in a sweet tone.

“Hey!” Jaehyun exclaimed affronted, “Are you turning against me too?”

This brought Ruby’s attention back to him and what she had been trying to accomplish earlier. But before she could charge at him again, Taeyong had jumped in between her and the tree -containing Jaehyun- and simply asked her to do the opposite.

“So, here’s the thing.” Taeyong started, “Could you please not chase him around for the time being? Only for a day! I kind of need him to take me to see the lanterns this evening. Do you think you could do that? For me?”

Ruby looked displeased at first, but then she seemed to take it into consideration. Taeyong was very kind to her, and it had been a long time since anyone recognised her efforts. Then, Doyoung climbed to the top of Taeyong’s head and squeaked at the horse. Ruby seemed to have some kind of conversation with the chameleon now, and Taeyong trusted Doyoung to handle this.

“Oh, by the way, it’s my birthday today!” Taeyong added, which made Ruby almost unable to say no. The horse regarded the boy, then looked up towards Jaehyun, still high up in the tree staring back suspiciously, and eventually let out a snort and nodded.

“Great! Thank you, Ruby, dear.” Taeyong said, “Jaehyun, you can come down now, Ruby is not going to chase you today.” Taeyong continued proudly and chuckled.

Jaehyun climbed down the tree and carefully approached the horse. “Are you sure? I don’t fancy on going to jail today.” He asked with a scowl.

Ruby whinnied, “Exactly.” Taeyong answered. “You can trust her, she gave me her word, right Ruby?” The horse whinnied another time and slowly brought her head to give Taeyong a loving rub against his head. Taeyong giggled in response.

“Alright, I get it. Now, let’s go, the kingdom awaits us.” He agreed with a smile beginning on his lips and right at that moment, loud bells and ringing could be heard from the distance. It made Taeyong run towards it, up the hill, in excitement.

In front of Taeyong rose a lovely kingdom and Taeyong was sure he had never seen anything so beautiful. The kingdom’s lands were surrounded by water, being hugged by the sea. The castle was elegant and glimmered in the sun with flags waving from its towers. The village beneath the castle was made up of houses of stone and wooden cottages, bridges connected different parts of the village together. The kingdom brimmed with life and Taeyong couldn’t wait to visit and experience the kingdom life.

So Taeyong turned to Jaehyun, beamed and together they set off towards the bridge down the hill. Doyoung was perched on Ruby’s head and enjoyed the view, he had turned a bright yellow out of happiness and Taeyong couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

As they crossed the bridge, nearing the gates of the kingdom, Taeyong admired the clear blue colour of the water and the many boats that sailed on it. Taeyong was so excited about finally seeing the kingdom, that he almost forgot about the fact that Jaehyun was a wanted thief, and they had to make sure he wouldn’t get caught by any guards.

Speaking of guards, a group of about four guards were going to pass them on their left side. Before they could think about how to hide Jaehyun, however, Ruby had moved to right next to him and Jaehyun had caught on quickly by making a deep bow and hiding his upper body behind the big horse. Together, the group continued to walk forwards and the guards just passed by unknowingly.

When they reached the gates, Taeyong looked up at the name on the archway. “Kingdom of Eldora.” He read in a soft voice.

“Welcome to the kingdom!” A young boy told them and lifted the basket in his arms to show them what he was selling. The basket was filled with small, bright purple flags with a golden sun in the middle. _Just like Ruby’s bridle_ , Taeyong recognised.

He moved his hand into the basket and took a flag in between his fingers. Amazed, he kept watching the bright design and Jaehyun dug into his pockets to give some coins to the boy. Taeyong kept gazing at the little flag, there was something familiar about it, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was.

“Thanks, little guy.” Jaehyun told the boy.

Taeyong looked up in realisation and watched the young boy smile back at him.

“What’s your name?” He asked the boy.

“My name is Sungchan, sir.” The boy answered dutifully.

Taeyong chuckled and thanked the boy for the flag, before Jaehyun motioned to move forwards, finally they were entering the village and Taeyong didn’t know where first to look.

The streets were filled with people walking around, going on errands, shopping or doing other chores. Everywhere Taeyong looked, he saw life and laughter and he thought it was delightful. The warm smell of fresh bread and other baked goods entered his nose and he dragged Jaehyun and their entourage to the bakery to get their stomachs filled.

Further up ahead the street, there were market stalls, selling all kinds of things. Beautiful fabrics, musical instruments, games, fresh vegetables, and even clothing. Taeyong tried to absorb it all.

When they stumbled upon a square with a fountain in the middle, Taeyong noticed two young boys sitting on the ground next to it, painting the tiles of the square. The paints they were using were bright purple, lilac, pink, white and yellow. The colours of the kingdom!

Taeyong approached the children and crouched next to them.

“Hi there! What are you painting?” He asked them.

“Hello, we’re painting flowers and little suns, do you want to join us?” One of the boys said.

“I would love to join you! My name is Taeyong.”

“My name is Jisung, and this is Chenle.” The tallest of the two said.

Taeyong found it very easy to make friends with the children while they painted all kinds of flowers and bright backgrounds with golden suns. Doyoung had decided to join as well, jumping with his tiny paws into the fresh paint on the tiles and strutting around, making a flower of his own. Next to paint, there was chalk as well, so Taeyong decided to switch between using paint and chalk for his flowers.

Before he realised it, he had finished a big mural of a sequence of lilies and the two boys gazed at it, amazed.

“Whoa, you’re so good at this!” Chenle exclaimed.

“Oh, thank you, I just really love painting.” Taeyong smiled while he stood upright again.

Jisung still stared at the flowers, “I hope one day I’ll be as good as you, Taeyong.” He said, admiring the other.

Taeyong patted Jisung’s head and thanked him for the sweet words. When Jaehyun joined him again, he took Taeyong by his arm and brought him to the fountain. He laughed, before speaking.

“You’ve got chalk on your face, Taeyong.” He said with a warm fondness and used a clean cloth to wipe it off the other’s face. Meanwhile, Taeyong just smiled and tried not to blush too much.

They turned back around when they finished and saw Ruby entertaining some of the other children on the square. She let one of the girls sit on her back while they put tiny, colourful flowers into her manes. Taeyong watched how Doyoung skipped over to the girls and squeaked out his excitement. One of them reached down and opened her palm to give the chameleon a flower of his own. Instead of trying to carry it around however, Doyoung just swallowed the little flower and then turned light pink, like the flower had been. The girls giggled and laughed and Taeyong enjoyed the moment, thinking if this is what happiness and joy was like, he hoped to see it often from now on.

He approached the girls and lifted the one on top of ruby to put her back down. Then he crouched down in front of them and let them put flowers in his hair as well. He couldn’t help but notice one particular flower in their basket and took it in his hands, it was a small pink rose. Taeyong thought this was the perfect flower to give to Jaehyun, showing his trust in the other through the most sincere of languages. The language of flowers.

When the girls finished, he turned back to Jaehyun who was already watching him with an unfamiliar expression. Jaehyun was just trying to absorb everything about this moment as he thought Taeyong looked gorgeous.

Taeyong then approached him, he put one hand on his shoulder and put the stem of the pink flower in the breast pocket of his coat. Then he looked up at the other and smiled.

“Where to now?” He asked him softly and Jaehyun had been thinking about a place, but as he looked at Taeyong’s eyes filled with curiosity and the eagerness to learn, his doubt about taking him there had completely dissipated.

When they arrived at the bookshop, Jaehyun felt his heart beat faster. He had to admit to himself he was a little nervous at the prospect of entering the store again. It had been years since he had last seen the friendly, old shopkeeper and he wondered if he was still the one managing it these days.

Lost in thought, Jaehyun didn’t realise that Taeyong had asked him something. Then Taeyong placed a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, successfully getting him out of his reverie.

“I think I know what this place is.” Taeyong told him, whispering for the sake of keeping honour to the secret the other had told him the night before.

Jaehyun just watched him and then nodded as he gulped lightly. They had to leave Ruby outside the shop and promised her they would be back soon. Doyoung had perched himself -paws now free of purple paint- on Taeyong’s shoulder as they entered the store.

From the outside it seemed like a very small shop, but once you stepped inside, the space doubled in size and Taeyong gasped softly at all the books lining the walls, stacked on bookshelves and even piled on top of each other in several towers. He had never seen this many books in his life, since he had only ever owned three.

Jaehyun enjoyed watching Taeyong’s face light up in wondrous excitement and then turned his head towards the counter, where a young man with a pair of glasses perched on his nose was looking at them with a warm smile.

“Hi there, welcome to Moon’s Empire.” The man told them and approached them not much later.

“This place hasn’t changed in years.” Jaehyun said, and there was an edge to his voice, a twinge of nostalgia and memories linked through his words.

Now that the young shopkeeper was close enough to study Jaehyun’s features, his eyes widened and a gasp resounded through the empty shop, as there was no one inside except for them.

“Jaehyun?? My goodness, it’s really you!” The shopkeeper said disbelievingly, he moved forward to grasp Jaehyun’s shoulders in between his hands and look him up and down.

“You’ve grown so much, I can’t believe it. You’re taller than me, even!” The man finished.

Jaehyun had been confused at first, but then he was able to place the man’s smile and twinkle in his eyes.

“Taeil?” He asked incredulously. So he was still around.

“Of course it’s me, who else would take over the family business. Grandpa has gotten too old to manage the shop so I stepped forward. He’ll be so delighted to hear you came back to the shop!” Taeil explained heartily.

“I’m so glad to see you,” Jaehyun told him and Taeil opened his arms for a familiar embrace and Jaehyun sighed contentedly for the very first time in years.

“I’m glad to see you’re not entirely alone,” Taeil said, curiously looking at Taeyong this time, who stepped closer.

“Ah yes,” Jaehyun cleared his throat. “This is Taeyong, he’s not from the kingdom. I'm taking him on a visit and showing him the lanterns tonight.”

“Ah, this is the perfect day for a visit, with all the celebrations happening.” Taeil said.

Taeyong and Taeil exchanged greetings and Taeil then motioned for them to follow him up the stairs to a room overlooking the many houses of the kingdom. There were several comfortable chairs and sofas lined up next to the bookcases on the walls and Taeyong took it all in, the homey atmosphere, the smell of paper and books and the warmth of the sun shining through the open window.

“Please, make yourself at home, I’ll be right back with some tea.” Taeil said and left right after in a hurry.

“Is Taeil your friend from when you were little?” Taeyong asked, curious.

“Yeah, you could say he was pretty much the only real friend I ever made. He’s the old shopkeeper’s grandson.” Jaehyun smiled, and Taeyong noticed that the tension between his shoulders from before had all disappeared.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.”

“This is the room where I spent my time reading whenever I came to the shop as a child. Whenever Taeil was here, he used to join me with his own pile of books, on other days we’d play games all day and then his grandpa would bring us food.” Jaehyun remembered with a smile on his face.

Then he walked towards the bookcase in the corner and started looking for something, Taeyong just watched from behind him and smiled in understanding when the other turned back around with a book in his hands.

“This is the book I was telling you about before, the one with stories about the retired captain of the guard.” Jaehyun told him wistfully and brushed his fingers over the cover.

Taeil arrived back to the room when the duo had been engrossed in about five books at the same time, sitting closely together on the floor with the books spread out around them. It looked like Taeyong didn’t know what first to read or where first to look, there was so much information he could suddenly access and it almost overwhelmed him.

“Here you go,” Taeil said, when he put the tray he was carrying down on the coffee table. Taeyong’s stomach grumbled at the smell of the cookies next to their cups and he thanked Taeil for the hospitality.

Taeil then disappeared back to his counter and Taeyong went back to reading. Jaehyun, in the meantime, wandered around the shop, looking for more books to show to the other. Taeil approached him again a while later.

“Hey, I know the guards are looking for you, but you can count on my help if you’re in trouble. I know you, Jaehyun, I know you’re not a bad guy.” He shared truthfully.

Jaehyun’s throat constricted, “Thank you, Taeil. I really appreciate your help.” Then the older placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in support.

“I’ll be closing the shop in about an hour, I’ll come get you guys when it’s time. I’ll join you on your way to the main square.”

“Alright.” Jaehyun nodded and disappeared back upstairs with his arms full of books.

An hour later, Taeyong softly woke Doyoung up from where he was asleep on the couch. The chameleon squeaked softly at him with one eye open and Taeyong laughed.

“Yes, we’re finished here. We’re about to go back outside, are you coming with us?” Taeyong teased. Now Doyoung was wide awake and already perched on the top of Taeyong’s head, ready for the rest of their adventure.

When they passed the counter and Taeil came out of the backroom, Taeyong asked him if he had an apple or two. Confused, Taeil nodded and quickly returned with two apples. Taeyong took them, grateful, and exited the shop looking for Ruby.

“Ruby, we’re back!” Jaehyun could hear him say and he walked out the door to join them.

“I’ve got something for you, dear, you must have gotten hungry while you were waiting for us, right?” He cooed at her even though she was a lot bigger than him.

Now, Taeil understood why Taeyong asked for the apples when he saw the white horse outside. “Isn’t this the captain’s horse?” Taeil asked them worriedly.

“She is, but today, she’s our companion.” Taeyong said while Ruby whinnied and munched on the apples. Taeyong brushed his hands through her manes again and beckoned for Taeil to come closer. Carefully, he approached the horse and called out for it softly.

“Hi Ruby, my name is Taeil. I’m a friend of Taeyong and Jaehyun.” He told her sweetly and stretched out his hand towards her head. Immediately, she moved her head forward in order to meet with his hand and Taeil giggled.

“Such a beautiful lady, aren’t you?” He told her and according to the horse’s reaction, she definitely liked it.

“Let’s go to the main square. It’ll almost be time for the lanterns.” Jaehyun told them and they marched on, three men, a horse and chameleon making for a unique group.

On their way to the square, they passed a beautiful portrait in mosaic of the King and Queen of Eldora. In the arms of the queen rested a young baby boy with bright golden hair and beautiful green eyes. Taeyong felt mesmerised as he noticed the baby had the exact same eyes as his mother.

Taeil saw him looking and crouched down to rearrange some of the flowers people had left in honour of the royals. “This is what this day is all about, Taeyong. When the little prince was born, our king and queen had been overjoyed, since Queen BoA had been very sick during her pregnancy. It was a miracle for the kingdom when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. I was only a little boy, but I still remember that night when the sky was lit up for the very first time in celebration of the prince’s birth.” Taeil recounted the story and Taeyong listened attentively while still watching the mosaic.

“Our happiness didn’t last long, however, as that same night the little prince was abducted. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find him anywhere, there was no lead or sign of him, he just disappeared. That’s why every year, on the lost prince’s birthday, we light up thousands of lanterns in celebration and hope that one day he’ll return to us. It’s the highlight of the year, and of the kingdom, so I'm glad you’re here with us to celebrate, Taeyong.” Taeil finished his story, stood back up right and smiled warmly at Taeyong.

Taeyong thanked him and glanced back at the mosaic for one last time. It amazed him how much he looked exactly like the queen, but quickly forgot about these thoughts when he heard someone crying out over the crowd on the main square. They moved closer to listen better to what was being announced.

“Welcome everyone! It is almost time, which means now we will dance. We will dance out of hope and love for our lost prince, that he may soon return to us!” The man cried out and the people all around cheered and shouted their agreements and support. The music started and soon couples were formed and danced through the crowd.

Taeyong and Jaehyun had been roped into joining the dance as well by others nearby, while Taeil stayed back with Ruby and Doyoung. Jaehyun twirled Taeyong on the music and then they separated to dance with other partners, Taeyong even saw Sungchan, Chenle and Jisung dancing too, together with the little girls from that morning. Taeyong laughed and clapped his hands together with the other dancers, he loved this united and hopeful atmosphere, and when he reunited again with Jaehyun, their eyes locked just as the music stopped.

Their moment was disrupted by the people around them cheering loudly and telling everyone to leave towards the boats. “It’s time!” and “Let’s go!” they said enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, Taeil had approached the duo with Ruby and told them he would be returning home to celebrate with his family. Taeyong and Jaehyun thanked him extensively for everything with a hug and said their goodbyes.

“Let’s go to the docks.” Jaehyun suggested and took Taeyong by his arm to lead the way.

“To the docks? Why?” Taeyong asked curiously, “What are you not telling me, Jaehyun?” He grinned now and followed him, excited for what was coming next.

When they arrived at the docks, Jaehyun stopped next to a small boat he had found through Taeil and offered his hand to the other to help him step inside.

Ruby, unfortunately, couldn’t join them on the boat as she was too big, so she stayed behind to keep watch and wait for their return. Though they didn’t leave before Jaehyun patted her head, grateful for the horse, who had now turned sweet and seemed to have started to like the other.

Jaehyun rowed the boat further and further away from the kingdom and Taeyong, confused, asked him why they were out on the water.

“Well, seeing as this is kind of the best day of your life, we should make sure it ends with the best view you could imagine.” He finished as he turned the boat and brought it to a halt, floating on the water in its place.

Taeyong turned his head and watched the kingdom in awe. Their view was amazing, indeed. From the boat, they looked out over the entire kingdom in the short distance and now Taeyong understood why Jaehyun brought him out on the water.

As they waited for the spectacle to begin, Taeyong noticed the little flowers in his hair had started to come undone from where the girls had placed them. Jaehyun watched, mesmerised, as Taeyong started taking his hands through his hair to get the flowers out and leaned forward, cupping his palms, offering to let Taeyong use them for the flowers.

Taeyong smiled gratefully, and when he was done fixing his hair, he watched the other nervously. Jaehyun lifted an eyebrow, wondering about what the other must be thinking.

“So, how are you feeling, Taeyong? The lanterns could rise to the sky any moment now.” He asked, studying the other’s features.

“I’m afraid,” Taeyong shared honestly. “And really nervous…” Doyoung sat on his lap and played with his fingers to try to distract him.

“Why are you afraid?” Jaehyun asked softly, he was confused at his answer.

Taeyong now watched the water next to him and lifted his eyes towards the kingdom. “What if it’s not like I imagined? What if I’ve created this idea in my head and it’s really not like how I thought it would be?” Taeyong explained his worries and fidgeted with his fingers, Doyoung was still playing with them, thinking this was a game while waiting.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Taeyong.” Jaehyun assured him with a kind voice.

“Are you sure?” Taeyong asked for confirmation.

“Trust me,” Jaehyun said, and he took Taeyong’s hand in his. Taeyong tried not to be distracted by Jaehyun's bigger hand enveloping his smaller one. His hand was warm and if Taeyong let himself think about it, he would say it felt nice, holding hands. It comforted him.

“Then what do I do after this? What do I do when this dream is accomplished?” Taeyong asked softly.

“Then you get to find a new dream, I guess. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Hhm, I get to find another one?” Taeyong said in wonder and Jaehyun had to stop himself from cooing at the other. Taeyong was being unreasonably cute, he thought.

“Yeah, it doesn’t have to be now, immediately. You can decide on a new dream whenever you want.” Jaehyun said as Taeyong picked a flower from the heap in Jaehyun’s other hand and let it flutter towards the water.

Taeyong continued on picking flowers and even blew a few out of his palm, watching them float, before landing on the water and rippling the surface. Just as he was moving the last few flowers in a certain pattern, something bright glittered in the water’s reflection, making Taeyong look up in anticipation.

One lone golden lantern had risen up from the palace towards the sky. It had started!

Shortly after, many more lanterns were lit up and rose upwards. Taeyong gasped and gazed with wide eyes at the spectacle in front of him. They were so beautiful. Soon after, the entire sky was filled with thousands of lanterns and each second more and more were being added still, brightening the dark night and overshadowing the stars.

It was finally happening, he was here, in the middle of his dream and he knew then, that he was right where he was supposed to be. Taeyong belonged here, in the kingdom, with the people. With… Jaehyun, he thought as he turned around to look at the other, slowly.

Taeyong beamed at him as Jaehyun now, instead of little flowers, held a glowing golden lantern in his hands. “I thought this would make the experience even better.” He said softly, as he beckoned Taeyong closer. Taeyong had just been staring at the lantern, trying to commit its intrinsic lilac patterns to memory. This lantern was simply beautiful and the fact that Jaehyun had got it for him…, it moved something inside him.

He brought his hands to the bottom of the lantern, copying Jaehyun’s hold on it carefully and together, they raised the lantern to the sky, letting it float towards the others, making the sky look that tiny bit brighter.

Taeyong admired the golden sky and just felt warmth, he felt extremely happy, it was like a bright flame had lit up inside his heart and warmed his limbs and his mind. He moved his head to look at Jaehyun now and there was nothing he wanted to change about this moment, not even about the wonderful day he had had. This feeling encompassing him while watching the other play with Doyoung, seemed to encourage the little flame even more and he felt it grow in his chest, bigger and bigger.

It was time, and Taeyong felt a hundred percent certain about what he was about to do. His mother had warned him about this, telling him to prove that Jaehyun wouldn’t run away, should he give back the satchel with the crown. But Taeyong wasn’t scared or confused anymore, his insecurities had been burnt to a crisp by the ever-growing flame inside him and he fiddled with the clasp of his coat, revealing the strap of a brown bag. The satchel!

“I’ve been carrying this with me on our journey, and I think I’m ready to give it back to you.” Taeyong said as he removed the satchel from his body and held it in front of him, for Jaehyun to take.

“The thing is, I was so scared to see your reaction, would you leave the moment I’d give it back to you?” Taeyong continued, “But now I’ve got to know you, and I’m not scared anymore, Jaehyun. If anything, you make me feel brave.”

The older just watched him and looked at the satchel in deep thought, before taking it from him and putting it down next to him. “Thank you, Taeyong. I must say, I’m not interested in the crown anymore. I have a new dream, and I would like to leave my old life behind, no more thieving.” He said with a determined and clear voice.

Jaehyun opened one side of his coat and retrieved something from it. Taeyong’s eyes widened when he saw what it was, his heart raced and the flame doubled in its size. It was a white flower, a little wrinkled by having been inside his coat for a while, but that was not what Taeyong was focused on.

The other held the lily out for him and Taeyong accepted it carefully, with loving fingers. He brought the lily towards his face and breathed in its familiar smell. Then he let out a loaded breath and watched Jaehyun with an enamoured look. This was his favourite flower, Taeyong must have mentioned it somewhere and Jaehyun had remembered.

Before he could speak, however, Jaehyun brought his hand to cup Taeyong’s cheek and the latter leaned into it. “I wanted to thank you once more, Taeyong. Unexpectedly, you made this day one to remember for a long time, even for me. I’ve been able to put some things in perspective and I no longer feel like the lost boy I once was.” The sincerity oozed from his words and made Taeyong melt before he spoke.

“Just from these two days, my entire world has shifted. It’s been incredibly overwhelming for me, but with you here, I feel like it’s all going to be okay.” Taeyong let the emotion shine through his words. “I’ve been blind to the outside world for years, and now that I see the starlight and these lanterns floating through the sky, I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I can finally see it now. I belong here, Jaehyun.” He looked at the other with a longing so sincere, Jaehyun saw it too.

He swallowed at the onslaught of feelings bubbling in his chest and brushed his thumb over Taeyong’s cheek. “I’ve been blind too. I was never truly seeing the things for what they were, I’ve been lost for a long time, trying to find my way. And I’ve been so lonely, it seems like I’ve always just been waiting for something. Though looking at you now, Taeyong. I've found my way.”

Taeyong exhaled shakily as Jaehyun finished speaking, his heart stuttered at the other’s words and he couldn’t look away from Jaehyun’s dark eyes. The lanterns were still floating around them and high in the sky as Jaehyun tugged him closer and Taeyong leaned forwards for Jaehyun to meet him in the middle. The feeling of soft lips on his made the flame inside him spread to every little nook and cranny of his body and then he felt it bloom as a flower in spring.

The kiss was tender and soft and everything Taeyong had wanted from this moment. He felt Jaehyun’s thumb stroke against his cheek once more and melted a little more into it. Then, too fast, Jaehyun leaned away and smiled at him lovingly. No words were needed further as he opened his embrace and Taeyong nestled in between his arms like he had always belonged there in the first place.

Shortly after, however, Jaehyun noticed a dull light on the shore of the land in front of the kingdom. When he looked closer, he noticed it were the thugs he had struck the deal with. They were clearly waiting for him and Jaehyun decided this was the perfect moment to give the crown back to them and make sure they would never bother him again, so he took hold of the oars and steered the boat towards the shore.

As the boat bumped and slid against the rocky sand of the shore opposite the kingdom, Jaehyun jumped out and took the satchel with the crown under his arm.

He looked at him softly, with a fondness that made Taeyong’s heart sing. “I will be right back, Taeyong. There’s something I have to take care of, and I don't think it can wait any longer. Please wait here for me.”

Taeyong watched him, and decided after everything they had been through, Jaehyun was definitely worth trusting. He remembered the soft pink rose he’d given the other hours before, and then the lily he’d just received as well and blushed lightly. Luckily, it was dark enough now that Jaehyun wouldn’t be able to see his cheeks heating up.

“Okay,” He said, “I’ll be waiting here. Is everything okay, though?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I promise it won’t take long. I’ll be back before you know it.” With this, Jaehyun leaned in and softly kissed Taeyong’s cheek, before he walked off.

Taeyong felt like squealing, though he continued the happy dance in his head. Jaehyun’s lips were imprinted on his own and now even on his cheek. He took in a deep breath to calm his racing heart. There was something he’d been thinking the past hour, but he’d been too shy and insecure to really form the words.

 _Could it be him? Could he be? Would he be, maybe, my new dream?_ Taeyong allowed himself to think now. All the signs were there. He knew Jaehyun liked him, like he liked Jaehyun. There was something so simple about being with him that made him think about this automatically.

Doyoung, on the edge of the boat, let out a sound asking for his attention. “Doyoungie! Do you think—, could he be?” and as always the chameleon understood him perfectly. With a fond look he nodded and let out an exciting squeak.

Taeyong stayed by the boat on the sand, waiting for Jaehyun’s return. He felt like the things they’d been through that day had shaped him for good. Now, Taeyong didn’t find his thoughts so keen on returning to his tower, not when he had seen what _life_ was, not when he had felt what it meant to really be _living_. Not when he felt like he might have a chance at _love_. So Taeyong was patient and hopeful.

After a while, he saw a silhouette approach him through the fog, unfortunately, the night hadn’t given him much light to see after the lanterns had disappeared.

“Ah, there you are, took you long enough. I almost started thinking you left me here.” Taeyong joked.

“Oh, but he did.” The silhouette answered, _that was not Jaehyun’s voice,_ Taeyong realised and froze. The silhouette came closer and either his eyes were messing with him, or that person just doubled. When he could finally make out their faces, Taeyong gasped lightly. It was the two bandit brothers Jaehyun had made that deal with, and they did not look like they came for a nice chat about the weather.

“What?” Taeyong hunched his body into himself and little Doyoung jumped into the chest pocket of his shirt.

“Why don’t you take a look?” The other brother said, and gestured to the open sea.

Slowly, Taeyong turned his head towards the water. There, in the distance, he could see a figure that looked a lot like Jaehyun in a boat and with something shining in his hands. The boat was also clearly sailing away from them. He couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him. It couldn’t possibly be true. Jaehyun was going to come back soon, yes. That’s what he said, that’s what he promised!

Taeyong watched on with wild and pleading eyes, pleading for what he was seeing not to be the truth, but the longer he was standing there, the more he realised it couldn’t be anyone other than his Jaehyun.

The two rough bandits hadn’t been wrong, and with every millisecond realisation crowded him, pulled him under and slithered through his body. He could feel his heart being torn apart piece by piece, tear by tear. Taeyong could hear his heart shudder and tremble, just like his hands and ultimately his lips. With big, watery eyes, Taeyong watched the boat get further and further away from him, from his heart and the shore he was left on.

“No,” Taeyong croaked out, “that— that’s impossible, Jaehyun wouldn’t do that.” His heart screamed no at this apparent truth, that wasn’t the Jaehyun he had come to know and like.

The men in front of him smirked vilely and one of them approached him, cracking his knuckles, the other one not far behind. “Oh, but it is. I think it’s only fair, don’t you think, brother?” The hair on Taeyong’s nape stood on end at the bandit’s predatory tone.

“The crown in exchange for the boy with the magic power and glowing hair. How much do you think one would pay for that?” The other bandit cackled lowly.

Taeyong couldn’t believe his ears, and heartbreak made its way for utter shock and fear. His body froze, but he willed it to move making him stumble backwards quickly.

“No, please—”

The brothers charged at him and Taeyong could see thick rope in their hands, ready to bind him. He turned around and ran for his life, a million thoughts racing through his mind safe for one, _had mother been right?_

Taeyong dashed along the shoreline, and though his body surely wasn’t in the right condition to run so fast, the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him push through. He jumped behind a giant rock, and suddenly his feet slipped on a hidden patch of moss and Taeyong fell to the ground, a hot flaring pain shooting up his right ankle.

He groaned and grabbed his ankle on instinct, before realising he had to keep moving. While he scrambled and tried dragging his body away from the rock, suddenly he heard blunt noises and groans. Then at once, someone was calling out for him. Quiet. It was a woman's voice. Wait, _Mother?_

“Taeyong! Taeyong, where are you? My Taeyong, darling.” Young Mi cried out.

Taeyong now saw her shadow pass through the night’s fog and when she passed the rock, relief as well as confusion filled his system. “Mother?”

“Oh Taeyong, my dear.” She scrambled towards him and hunched down checking over him if he was alright. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” A hand through his hair, down his cheek, squeezing his bicep softly to reassure him. His mother visibly looked older now, having missed his daily singing.

“Can you stand up? Come on, dear, we have to go. Quickly, before they wake up!” Mother Young Mi urged.

Taeyong swallowed and belatedly realised that his adrenaline had started to fade away. There was a light throbbing in his ankle when he stood up right, supported by his mother.

“What happened? Where are they? Wait— how did you find me?” Taeyong flicked his eyes around the dark shoreline, wary for their return.

“Oh I was so worried about you, dear, so I followed you. Then I saw what they were about to do and I knocked them out cold. But it won’t take long before they wake up so let’s go home quickly.” She said and already moved away.

Taeyong froze at the word home, _his tower_. He turned around towards the water and the kingdom, and stared longingly in the direction Jaehyun had disappeared off to. Bitter betrayal and hurt flowed through him once more, and he let tears pool in his eyes. Suddenly it was hard to breathe with his chin wobbling like that. Then slowly, he looked back at his mother, and a soft sob escaped him before he ran towards her and threw himself in her embrace.

“You were right, mother.” Taeyong cried, tears flowing, rolling down his cheeks.

“Come here, my dear, it’s going to be alright. Mother is here, I understand, darling.” She slipped her arm over his shoulder and guided him towards the woods.

“Let’s go home.” Was the last thing she said before they disappeared through the trees.

Heartbroken, Taeyong returned to the tower with Mother Young Mi and holed up in his room. At this point, he just felt numb. Taeyong had healed himself along the way back, his painful ankle had been slowing them down. Now that he was alone in his room, the silence was becoming too loud and Taeyong didn’t know what to think or feel.

His mother had told him again how she only tried to warn him of the cruel and cold world, and Taeyong had only sighed, trying to cast away her lies, or were they?

With tears in his eyes, he stared at his lap and it must have been a good ten minutes before Doyoung intervened. He jumped on the other’s lap and croaked out a soft squeak before turning a greyish blue, as the chameleon too, was feeling sad.

“I’m sorry, Doyoungie, it just doesn’t make sense.” Taeyong told him, voice raw and filled with emotion. “I don’t get why he left me, how could he do that? I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Doyoung, not knowing what to do, just cuddled closer to Taeyong and whined. As Taeyong made to lay back on his bed, he noticed there was something in the pocket of his pants. He felt around and noticed it was made of a soft fabric.

His eyes widened when he took it out, it was the little purple kingdom flag Jaehyun had got him upon arriving at the kingdom. He sighed forlornly and let himself fall back onto his bed this time. The flag reminded him of the boy, Sungchan, who sold it to him, and then he thought of the two kids, Chenle and Jisung, who were so kind to him. Thinking of the kingdom made him think of Taeil, who welcomed him with open arms. In fact, all the people had been so wonderful, it just couldn’t be that the world was something entirely different from what he had seen.

He brought the flag in front of him so he could take a good look at it. Again, something was tickling at the back of his mind. Overwhelmed, he cradled the flag against his chest and closed his eyes, trying not to let his tears flow. It hurt, his heart was torn to shreds and he felt like screaming out his pain, though the energy was far to find.

Taeyong took in a few slow breaths and tried to calm himself down. Then he opened his eyes and looked towards his ceiling, even there he had painted flowers and stars and, no… “Huh?” Taeyong let out a confused sound. He sat up and looked back at the golden sun on the flag. He frowned as he willed his brain to make sense of it all as he looked back up at his murals. It couldn’t be. _Are those… suns?_

Taeyong’s eyes widened as, suddenly, he began seeing suns everywhere on his walls, in the lines and patterns of his paintings and let out a soft gasp. Even in his first paintings, the ones he made when he was just a young boy, several suns jumped out to him. He saw it now.

Panicking, Taeyong scrambled off the bed and rushed towards the drawer where he kept his binder with old drawings and sketches. As he skipped through it, he kept noticing the suns everywhere. Then he dropped the binder on the floor, not caring about making a mess and brought his hands to his hair, grasping the strands with his fingers. The only image he could see now was the golden sun on Ruby’s bridle, the yellow suns he painted himself on the kingdom square and then the mosaic depicting the king and queen.

Taeyong remembered the familiar feeling when he looked at the baby’s emerald green eyes, how they looked exactly like the queen’s and exactly like… his. The woman looked so much like him too, except for his hair, which was just as bright as the little boy’s. Taeyong’s breathing had turned shallow as his eyes were still wide upon making these realisations.

Now, Taeil’s words from before resounded through his mind, recounting the story of the lost prince and how the lanterns were for the lost prince’s _birthday… His_ birthday! At once, images of himself with the crown on his head filled his mind and then it all started to make sense, finally. He was the lost prince.

Slowly, he was able to place the bits and pieces together and when he thought about the king and queen, he felt a warm feeling spreading through his body. He felt a fraction of what it had to have felt like, that short moment when he was a baby, receiving their love.

Young Mi had lied to Taeyong about the outside world and everything and everyone included. Everything Taeyong knew to be true had been a lie! He realised now, even Jaehyun leaving him must have had something to do with her. He knew it didn’t make sense, Jaehyun wouldn't leave him just like that, not after everything they had been through the day before. Taeyong’s heart started racing upon this realisation, these feelings weren’t lying, they must mean something.

Taeyong looked at Doyoung, who was watching him with wide eyes and the chameleon let out a questioning sound, asking if he was alright. Taeyong approached him with wide eyes and whispered.

“Doyoungie… I am the lost prince.” With his eyes still wide, Taeyong tried to repress a small sob but it came out anyway. “Young Mi stole me from my real parents.” Taeyong continued and now anger had started to fill his system. Doyoung cried out loudly and started growling. He jumped off the bed and towards the door as if to say _confront her and get out of here,_ which was exactly what Taeyong planned on doing.

He marched down to the living area, fuelled by adrenaline, and found his ‘mother’ in the kitchen, who seemed to have been startled by his sudden appearance behind her.

“Oh, Taeyong flower, you scared me.” She told him.

“What, do you have a bad conscience, _mother?_ ” Taeyong couldn’t help but spit out.

“Taeyong, what are you talking about?” Young Mi frowned now at the tone he used with her.

“You lied about everything, mother, I shouldn’t even be calling you that, right? You are not my mother. You took me away from my real parents when I was a baby.” Taeyong confronted her now.

“What are you even saying, do you hear the nonsense you’re spewing out? This is crazy!” She said, but Taeyong was not stopping.

“You don’t have to pretend anymore, Young Mi. I know I am the lost prince.” Young Mi’s eyes widened now in shock upon his realisation, before they turned into splits.

“I only did what was right, I took what belonged to me. And besides, I acted like your mother for all these years… I might as well be.” She admitted now in a low voice and grinned cruelly. Taeyong heard the possessiveness creeping through her words and he understood, now, that she had always just seen him as a magical flower, taking and taking and taking more of its magic.

“No, you’re not, you never have been and you never will be. I’m leaving.” Taeyong countered as he turned around, ready to leave through the hidden spiral stairwell in the floor, through which they had entered only a few hours ago. Taeyong had never even known it was there, another means to keep him locked up, he guessed.

“You have nowhere to go, your precious thief won’t be there for you.” Young Mi said triumphantly and Taeyong gasped knowing she must have done something to him.

“What did you do to him?” He demanded softly, scared of the possibilities.

“I just made sure thieves receive their punishment,” As she was speaking, Taeyong watched her fingers play around her throat and he knew what she was implying. Thieves were to be hanged for their crimes, he had learned. Taeyong took in a deep breath and tried not to panic, he hoped it wasn’t too late.

“This is all how it’s supposed to be, flower, it’s alright.” Young Mi tried to placate but Taeyong only felt like throwing up at her sickly-sweet voice.

“No!” Taeyong argued, “You were wrong about everything, you were wrong about the kingdom and the people and you were wrong about me! I will never let you use my powers again!” And with that he turned around and stalked towards the stairwell.

Young Mi watched in disdain and decided she was done playing nice. She snapped her fingers and at once, Taeyong’s wrists were shackled with a chain linking him to the wall and Taeyong stared in disbelief and shock.

“I gave you the chance to stay with me peacefully like before, you thought you could just get away from me that easily, my flower?” Her voice was threatening and Taeyong watched in a mix of fear and defiance. There was a dark aura around her and he sensed the magic coming off her in waves, almost pulling him under.

“You’re a witch. But— how?” How could he not have seen it? He would’ve sensed her magic otherwise.

“How did you never notice anything, flower?” She said with a condescending tone.

“Oh well, it’s quite simple, dear. The older I get, the faster I age when I use magic. So when I took you in as a baby, I hid my magic and vowed to live a life as a regular human. At least then, I wouldn’t need your healing every few hours. Though times call for desperate measures, don’t you think? Since you like to defy me so much. But don’t worry, it’s over now, little flower. We’re going away and very far too, where no one will ever find us.” Young Mi grinned maniacally as she finished talking and Taeyong’s heart raced in fear.

He opened his mouth to try and fight her, resisting as much as possible, but then, he halted, the silence around them was broken and not by Taeyong. There were noises outside their tower. Both Young Mi and Taeyong were distracted by the noise, and as he listened carefully, Taeyong heard the sound of a galloping horse. His eyes widened, he recognised the whinnying of the horse, it was Ruby!

Then his head snapped towards the window when he heard a man calling out for him, Jaehyun’s voice felt like a warm blanket covering his cold limbs, he had come back! He was alive and he had come back for Taeyong, but Taeyong couldn’t let his guards down or cheer in relief as he quickly remembered what would be awaiting Jaehyun if entered the tower.

Taeyong’s heart raced faster than before, and he tried to yell, he needed to warn Jaehyun about the witch and the danger she carried. No longer was she a regular old lady. However, just as he was forming out the words, his voice got cut off. Young Mi had zipped her fingers towards his throat and now, Taeyong’s voice couldn’t be heard anymore. The taste of cotton filled his mouth and he looked around for the mirror in the room, he was gagged.

“Oh no, no, you stay quiet.” The witch told him, menacingly.

Taeyong’s heart lurched as he heard steps mounting the stairs of the hidden stairwell. Jaehyun kept calling out for him and Taeyong panicked, as he couldn’t make himself be heard to warn the other.

He struggled with all his might and tried to get as close to the stairwell as he could, straining the metal chaining him to the wall and wringing the skin around his wrists as a result.

“Taeyong, behave yourself!” The witch snapped and waved her arm, making the chain drag him back to the wall, he felt his knees being forced to buckle and fell to the floor on his knees.

“Taeyong!”

Jaehyun hauled himself through the opening in the floor, calling for him and Taeyong struggled against his chains once more, trying to get out of them. Jaehyun gasped when he saw Taeyong on his knees, chained to the wall and now he could hear his muffled voice through the gag, frantically trying to tell him something. Taeyong’s eyes were wide in fear as he saw the witch moving behind the other in the darkness.

“Jaehyun, behind you!” He tried warning him, but his words were muted by the cotton in his mouth.

Then, just as Jaehyun moved to approach Taeyong, the witch came from behind him and pushed her blade forward to stab Jaehyun in the side of his abdomen. Taeyong screamed while Jaehyun groaned and watched him crumple to the floor.

“Look at him, this is all your fault, Taeyong.” Young Mi said, “But don’t worry, flower, our little problem is solved. Our secret will just die with him.” She smirked evilly.

Taeyong continued crying out for Jaehyun through his gag and kept struggling and pulling at his chains. He needed to save Jaehyun, before it was too late and the other bled to death. The witch approached him now and took his chains in her hands, with one wave of her hand the chains were released from the wall. Taeyong saw his chance and pulled even more, with all his might. Jaehyun’s painful grunts tugged at his heart.

From the side, Doyoung sprinted across the room towards the witch, jumped up and bit her arm, trying to stop her from taking him with her. Young Mi reacted quickly and threw him against the wall. The chameleon watched from the floor, heartbroken, as he couldn’t help and save his friend.

“Come on now, Taeyong! You’re coming with me.” The witch yelled at the boy but Taeyong resisted, he kept thrashing around and finally, his gag moved, freeing his mouth and letting him spit out the lump of cotton.

“No! I will never stop fighting, I refuse to let you use my healing any longer. I will keep resisting, you’re a monster!” Taeyong yelled at her.

“However,” He continued, appeasing the witch and proposing a deal. “If you let me heal him, I promise I will go with you and you will have your flower by your side, forever.” Taeyong knew that if he healed Jaehyun and left with the witch, he would never see the other again, but he couldn’t let his Jaehyun die. At least the other could build a happy life in the kingdom.

Young Mi seemed to contemplate his offer and eventually agreed, she knew what his promises meant as she had raised him herself. She snapped her fingers, releasing Taeyong from the shackles.

“Fine, but don’t get anything in your head about playing any tricks on me. I see right through you.” She said darkly.

Taeyong scrambled over to Jaehyun lying on the floor, still groaning in pain. He bent down over him, hands reaching out. “Jaehyun, oh no,” He looked for his wound and tried to get a closer look at how bad it was, opening his coat. There was already quite some blood pooling on the floor beneath him. Taeyong cupped his face, trying to get his attention.

“Jaehyun. I’m here, it’s me. You’re gonna be alright, you hear me? I’m gonna make it better. Just hang in there.”

He moved his hands towards his wound, but before they could reach him, Jaehyun spoke up.

“Taeyong, stop, don’t do this.” He croaked out.

“What are you saying, of course I will, I can’t let you die, my Jaehyun.”

“Just, wait—” Jaehyun’s voice cracked as he coughed and moved his hands together. Taeyong had no idea what he was trying to do, but time was running out.

“Jaehy—” His words were cut short as, suddenly, a gust of wind entered the tower swirling around them and Taeyong was blinded by a bright light. Something seemed to be crushing him inside for a second and then the feeling was gone.

When the light ebbed away, Taeyong felt a comfortable weight around his left wrist and when he looked down, he saw Jaehyun’s golden bracelet on his arm. Shocked, He looked back at Jaehyun quickly, whose face contorted in pain. Doyoung cried out towards Taeyong and when Taeyong looked up and caught his reflection in the mirror, he noticed with wide eyes that his hair had turned brown.

There was an ear-piercing scream from the witch when she saw what happened.

“No! No, this can’t be true! What did you do?!” She wailed loudly and crashed into the mirror, which shattered when it reached the ground. Taeyong watched with wide eyes, as Young Mi seemed to be struggling, her hair was a frail white now and her body held more wrinkles than smooth skin. She screamed again and then dark smoke surrounded her, before she disappeared into nothing. Young Mi was now nothing more than a memory of the past, a fragment of what was otherwise to be, her future long forgotten.

Taeyong looked back at Jaehyun and his confusion and shock bubbled up into fear and despair. He was losing so much blood now, and Taeyong _had_ to heal him _now_ , before it was too late.

Jaehyun gasped in pain as Taeyong placed his hands around the wound softly and started to sing, but something felt off. Nothing was happening and Taeyong didn’t feel that familiar tingle underneath his skin. Frustrated and scared, Taeyong kept singing but his palms wouldn't glow either.

“What’s happening?” He cried out. “Jaehyun, look at me!” The latter kept getting whiter and Taeyong stared at his hands with tears in his eyes. Then he looked at the bracelet that was still glowing and felt the skin tingle as if all his magic had been sucked into it.

Taeyong let out a whimper and leaned closer to the other. “Jaehyun! What did you do? Why??”

Jaehyun coughed and groaned. “Taeyong, Tae—, Yong look at me” His breathing had turned heavier now.

Taeyong looked up into those brown eyes he came to adore with big, sad eyes on the verge of spilling over.

“Jae—,” Another painful whimper escaped him. “How could you do that? How, why?” Taeyong sniffed.

“Because your life… is worth so much more than mine.” He groaned again and tried to continue. “I couldn’t let her take you away again.” He watched him lovingly with desperate eyes, even through his pain.

“Jaehyun, my magic stopped working, I can’t feel it anymore.” Taeyong cried, “Please don’t leave me.” Tears were leaking from his eyes, tainting his rosy cheeks, as he clutched onto the other.

“Taeyong, remember I told you about my mother’s bracelet? My theory was right,” Jaehyun coughed and scrunched up his face in pain before continuing “It only answers the oldest and purest call, the one of true love.”

Jaehyun’s breathing became ragged and Taeyong fervently shook his head, mind reeling at the same time. _What was he saying? Is he—_

“I— I love you Taeyong” And Taeyong cried, holding onto his love’s weakening body, clothes soaked in blood. This was the happiest message he had ever received, but Jaehyun was dying and his healing wasn’t working.

Jaehyun gasped as he took Taeyong’s hand in his and tried to say one last thing as it was getting hard keeping his eyes open. “Y—you w—were my new dream.”

“No. No, no, stay with me, Jaehyun. Don’t go— Jaehyun, stay awake!” Taeyong panicked and cried while cradling the other closer into his arms, though Jaehyun’s eyes were closed now. It didn’t seem like he was breathing anymore, but Taeyong refused to admit defeat. He held his face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together.

“Jae, I can’t let you die, please don’t die, wake up, wake up for me.” He pleaded. Taeyong took a deep breath, willed his lips to stop quivering and sang again.

“Please let me save you, please, please don’t leave me…” Taeyong cried softly while continuing the song. “ _Change the fates' design, save what has been lost._ ”

It was quiet. The only thing that could be heard throughout the tower were Taeyong’s soft sobs and sniffles while the tears kept rolling down his face.

“I love you, Jaehyun, please come back my love.” For the second time, Taeyong felt his heart being torn apart, and this time felt even worse. It was quiet and Taeyong felt ice-cold. His love was not coming back to him? He needed Jaehyun by his side.

Taeyong leaned back and tried to steady his breathing. He seemed to have a clear moment and tried to focus once more on his magic. He knew it wasn’t completely gone, he could still feel it swirling underneath his skin, silently, itching to get out, though not used to the powers of the bracelet working like a filter.

Taeyong caressed Jaehyun’s face and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Then he sat back up and started singing again, softly, while several lone tears still escaped from underneath his eyelashes. One of which found its way to Jaehyun’s stab wound, without Taeyong noticing.

For a moment, nothing happened and then a swirl of golden light started forming from Jaehyun’s wound, it was almost blinding to Taeyong but he could still make out the same form of the flowers on his palms. Taeyong gasped, quietly and hope returned to his heart.

The light got so bright, it enveloped the entire tower and now Taeyong felt a familiar warmth. Looking at Jaehyun expectantly, he heard him coughing and gasping for air. Jaehyun was brought back! It seemed like his wound had been healed.

Taeyong exclaimed out of joy, “Jaehyun! You’re back, you’re okay.” He beamed while fresh tears escaped his eyes, this time out of happiness. The shock of it all seemed to catch up to him.

“Hey you,” Jaehyun said, and he wiped Taeyong’s tears away with his thumbs.

“You’re here, you’re he—,” Taeyong repeated, as if he couldn’t believe Jaehyun was actually healed.

“I’m here, Taeyong.” Jaehyun confirmed.

Taeyong’s eyes were still wide when he whispered, “I couldn’t say it back.” He sniffed again and Jaehyun was a bit confused.

“Say what b—”

Taeyong kissed Jaehyun before he could finish his sentence, making the message clear without words needed. He grabbed Jaehyun by his collar and tugged him closer, he was never letting him go ever again. Jaehyun only wound his arms around the other and deepened the kiss happily. Taeyong giggled when he leaned back, tension dissipating through the immense relief he felt.

“I love you too, Jaehyun.” Jaehyun’s smile opened up for his dimples and Taeyong delved down into his embrace. The other tightened his arms more securely around his waist and Taeyong buried his face into his neck. This felt like home.

When Taeyong was finally ready to let go of his grasp on the other, he leaned back and looked at his love with a question in his eyes.

“What happened on the beach, last night? Suddenly, you were gone in that boat and those guys told me you had run off…” Taeyong asked and the memory of it left a bitter taste.

“I wanted to give back the crown and tell them to leave me alone, but it was a trap. They told me they knew about your magic and wanted to have you instead. So I tried to put up a fight, but they knocked me out.” Jaehyun recounted what happened when he was gone.

“Then, next thing I know, I wake up and there are guards in front of me. I was bound to the wheel of a ship with the crown in my hands. It must have looked great for them, catching the most wanted thief Jung Yoonoh.” He chuckled bitterly and Taeyong cupped his cheek lovingly, brushing his thumb over his cheekbone in silent support.

“They threw me in jail, but I was so worried about you, I couldn’t even think about the fact they wanted to punish me as fast as they could.” Jaehyun sighed and brushed his fingers through Taeyong’s hair affectionately, resting his hand on his nape. “And then I saw those brothers in there as well, so I demanded them to tell me what had happened to you, and how they knew. They told me it was the old woman and it could really only be your, uhm, mother.”

“She’s not my real mother, I realised things didn’t add up and found out she stole me from my real parents… I’m the lost prince, Jaehyun.” He explained softly. Jaehyun’s eyes widened, but then it dawned upon him.

“Actually, I’m not surprised. You look so much like the queen, you have her eyes and now even her hair too.” He chuckled as he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. Taeyong felt his heart flutter at this affectionate gesture.

“We should bring you home, Yong.” He finished with a soft peck on his lips and Taeyong’s heart soared.

“Wait, but how did you escape from the guards?” Taeyong wondered.

Jaehyun grinned now, “Ah, I have to thank Ruby for that. As she had been waiting for our return at the docks, she witnessed the guards taking me away. And I had been calling out for you, because you were left behind. So Ruby went straight to Taeil, who rode with her to warn our friends, the ruffians. Johnny gathered most of his group to get me out of jail. They should be waiting for us at the edge of the forest, I believe. Et voila, that’s how I escaped.”

“You are one lucky man, Jaehyun. I can’t believe it!” Taeyong said in awe.

“I really am,” Jaehyun gazed at his Taeyong in adoration, but before they could lean in again, a low groan was heard from the other side of the room, making their heads whip up.

“What’s that? Is she back?” Taeyong asked, worried.

“She can’t be, we saw her shrivel up into nothing, she’s dead.” Jaehyun answered.

They stood up and moved slowly across the room where they saw another man lying on the floor, half unconscious. Taeyong gasped as he had never seen him before, though there was something familiar about his features. The young man’s clothes were ripped in several places and he looked fairly skinny, black hair ruffled on his head.

Taeyong crouched next to him, Jaehyun following him, as he tried waking the man up.

“Hey there, are you okay?” He asked, and the boy opened his eyes, blinking a few times.

As he tried talking, his voice cracked, it seemed like it hadn’t been used in a while, Taeyong thought. “I’ll get him some water.” Jaehyun said, as he got up towards the kitchen.

Taeyong nodded and looked back at the boy’s face, he couldn’t shake the feeling as if he knew him somehow. Jaehyun came back and helped him gulp the water down.

“Taeyong?” the boy croaked out and Taeyong’s eyes widened. Taeyong gasped softly as he recognised the look the other was giving him now.

“Doyoung?” Taeyong wondered, “Is it you? How is this possible? Was it Young Mi?” He concluded now.

Doyoung gave him a sincere smile. “I knew you were smart, Taeyong.” He said, as he sat up, stretching his limbs. “I thought I was stuck as a chameleon forever.”

“What happened to you?” Taeyong placed his hand on the other’s shoulder in support and helped him sit upright, Jaehyun just watched in awe.

“One day, years ago, I was hiking through the woods when a heavy rainfall cracked the sky open. It was a dangerous storm, especially for me, since I was alone in the forest. I searched for a place to hide and found a cave, only it was not a cave. It turned out to be a passage to this hidden valley. I saw my chance and tried looking for shelter, but when the witch saw me, she promptly turned me into a chameleon.”

Guilt swirled through Taeyong’s eyes. “That’s why you were always so afraid of her.”

“I guess she was afraid I would tell others about the tower and reveal its secret location. When you found me in the kitchen that day, I was starving. I hadn’t had food for days and I had nowhere to go. I was scared, but then you gave me food and took care of me. You were nice to me and I found a friend in an unexpected place.” Doyoung explained and covered Taeyong’s hand with his own.

“I can’t believe my best friend is human.” Taeyong exclaimed and dove in for a hug, which Doyoung gladly accepted.

“Let’s get out of here,” Doyoung suggested after they pulled away, and the others quickly agreed.

Ruby raced towards them when they reached the exit of the tower and whinnied in relief. She licked their faces happily and Taeyong brushed through her manes, grateful for the intervention.

When she saw Doyoung, however, Ruby froze. She had never seen this human before, but the smell… it was familiar. Careful, she approached him and Doyoung greeted her excitedly, whispering something in her ear.

Ruby’s head shot up, she whinnied again in realisation and Doyoung laughed, circling his arms around her neck. Taeyong pushed his back into Jaehyun’s chest and the latter snaked his arms around him from behind. Taeyong let out a content sigh as Jaehyun rested his head against the other’s.

“I see you finally got together,” Doyoung mentioned, looking at the couple. “I’m glad you figured yourself out, Jaehyun.” He grinned at him.

When they reached the edge of the forest, their ruffian friends were waiting for them, just like Jaehyun had mentioned. “Taeyong! You’re okay!” Yuta, Ten, Yukhei and Hendery exclaimed, and they pulled him into a group hug.

“Glad to see you alive, Yoonoh.” Johnny approached the other.

“Thanks for the help, Johnny. I wouldn’t be here anymore if it wasn’t for you helping me escape.” Jaehyun was very grateful. “My real name is Jaehyun, by the way.” He said, and stretched out his hand for Johnny to shake.

“Youngho,” The other grinned playfully and shook his hand. “Jaehyun suits you better anyway, stick to it, my friend.” They laughed together.

The ruffians had quickly learned about Taeyong’s true identity and cheered, for their lost prince had returned. “Let’s bring Taeyong home!” Yukhei yelled, and with Taeyong in the front with his hand in Jaehyun’s and his other arm slung over Doyoung’s shoulder, they made their way over the bridge, to the Kingdom of Eldora.

On their way, they made sure to pass by the bookshop and find Taeil, who was so relieved to see them, he immediately pulled them in for a hug before scolding them. “Don’t ever scare me like that ever again! It won’t be your best day, I promise you that.”

They laughed heartily and promised everything was okay now. Upon seeing Doyoung, however, Taeil got silent as he openly stared at him. Doyoung blushed as he quickly explained what had happened to him and Taeil took the boy under his wings as he joined the march to the palace.

The people of the kingdom cheered as the ruffians announced to everyone that the lost prince had returned and soon, word had spread to the palace. (And if any guard would pass them and recognise Jaehyun, they would turn around immediately as they weren’t so keen on a second encounter with the ruffians.)

With every step Taeyong got closer to the palace, his nerves spiked up more and Jaehyun squeezed his hand in silent support. It had an instant effect on his boyfriend, and he tried slowing down his racing heart.

Taeyong and Jaehyun were the only ones entering the castle, as the others had said they would be helping the people organise a big party in celebration of his return. He looked at Taeil expectantly and the latter promised him Doyoung would be in good hands. Based on the sparkle in Doyoung’s eyes while looking at Taeil, Taeyong had no doubt he would be. Taeyong wished Doyoung good luck as he, too, would go home after years and reunite with his family.

“I will see you soon, Taeyong.” Doyoung told him and they parted with a big hug.

Taeyong and Jaehyun were now led to the royal garden, and the guard escorting them had asked them to wait there for the king and queen. Jaehyun hadn’t let go of Taeyong’s hand once and Taeyong still tried to calm his breathing, _would they recognise him? Would they accept him?_

The terrace door opened and a man and woman stepped out into the sunlight. They were dressed in beautiful gowns and rich fabrics, they were here! Queen BoA gasped upon seeing Taeyong as they were each other’s spitting image, especially with Taeyong’s brown hair now.

Taeyong’s eyes welled up with the emotion he was feeling, the elation of the moment aided him to take a step closer as his mother did the same. She couldn’t stop staring at him, her son. She recognised her own features so prominently on him. Her son had come home after eighteen long years. They both walked closer and then Queen BoA stretched a hand out to softly and tenderly cup his cheek. She let out a shaky breath along with, “Oh, my son... My Taeyong.” And then at once she took him in a warm embrace and they both shed tears upon their reunion.

“Mom?” Taeyong tried out in a small voice, and the feeling he got when BoA’s eyes lit up in sincere adoration made his heart sing. He looked at his father now, the king, and saw him choke up at the sight of his wife and their son together. They had waited eighteen years for this moment. He let out a watery laugh and with big steps, scooped them both up in a crushing embrace, then he took a hold of the back of Taeyong’s head and kissed the crown of his hair. He was home, at last.

The next day, the kingdom held a big celebration throughout the entire land and there was even a banquet planned at the palace, the doors had been opened for everyone. The king and queen had insisted on Jaehyun staying with Taeyong at the castle, after hearing about their story. They promptly decided to take Jaehyun in after learning about his past, and Taeyong couldn’t be happier, Jaehyun deserved parental love too.

Taeyong met so many people at the banquet, it was quite overwhelming, but with his parents behind him and his father’s supporting hand on his shoulder, Taeyong found his way through the mass of people without a problem. Taeil and Doyoung had been invited too and Taeyong was pleased to see they seemed to have grown closer already. Doyoung told them his parents had cried for hours after he showed himself at the door, and he was relieved they were both in good health.

Taeyong passed a mirror and halted his steps to look at his reflection. So much had changed in just a few days, but somehow it felt more right than ever before. He wore a crisp white shirt and a beige gown with bright purple, lilac and golden patterns. On the top of his head rested the beautiful crown, which now belonged to him, comfortably. He still had to get used to his brown locks but every time he looked at his mother, he loved the colour more and more.

Jaehyun had appeared behind him, as he never strayed too far from him, which Taeyong was thankful for. He was also dressed in elegant robes and Taeyong thought they matched well together. “Everything good?” Jaehyun checked up on him every so often, making sure Taeyong was never less than happy.

Taeyong nodded cheerfully, making Jaehyun chuckle and lean in to leave a tender kiss on his forehead. Taeyong basked in the feeling of Jaehyun’s arms at his sides, protectively, and felt the safest he’s ever been. “Thank you, my dream.” Taeyong said, and Jaehyun’s eyes lit up in utter adoration.

A few hours later, Taeyong was approached by an older man, clad in an honourable uniform, which Taeyong now recognised must have been part of the guard. He greeted the man respectfully, but noticed he wasn’t really looking at him. He seemed to be more focused on his bracelet, which was visible by his sleeve having been folded upwards. Taeyong watched the man carefully, patiently waiting for the other to say something.

“Welcome home, Prince Taeyong.” The man introduced himself as Yunho, and Taeyong recognised him from the book Jaehyun had shown him. He was the old captain of the guard! Taeyong glanced at Jaehyun, who was talking to the king, and distracted, tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.

Once again, Yunho’s eyes locked on the bracelet and he opened his mouth to speak. “Excuse me for being so intrusive, if I may ask, where did you get that from, my Prince?” The retired captain motioned towards the bracelet.

Taeyong was surprised at the question, but told the man the truth. “Jae— he saved my life with it.” And Taeyong, now used to the weight of the bracelet around his wrist, brushed his fingers over the metal softly. Then he turned towards where Jaehyun was still in conversation and the latter, feeling Taeyong’s eyes on him, caught his gaze.

Yunho followed his gaze and noticed Jaehyun in conversation with Taeyong’s father. The latter now looked their way, smiled heartily at his dear friend and approached them.

“Yunho, you’ve finally arrived! I see you’ve met my son already.” He gestured towards Jaehyun now. “This is Jaehyun, Taeyong’s boyfriend, he’s also the one who saved him and brought him home.” The king gushed about him and Taeyong chuckled when he noticed Jaehyun become flustered at the king’s praises on top of being starstruck at seeing his role model in front of him.

Yet no one noticed Yunho’s eyes had widened upon hearing Jaehyun’s name. He took a step closer towards Jaehyun and asked him the same question. “W—where did you find that bracelet, if I may ask?” His eyes brimmed with a certain emotion and surprised, with a hint of shame about his background, Jaehyun told him about its origins after he took a hold of Taeyong’s hand.

“I’ve had this bracelet since I was a baby, my mother gave it to me before she left me at the orphanage as a baby.” Jaehyun shared truthfully, Taeyong squeezed his hand.

They all watched Yunho’s reaction unfurl, he drew a shaky breath and now the king, concerned about his friend, asked him if everything was okay.

The old captain was yet to answer his friend, when suddenly, he asked, “Your birthday is on the fourteenth of the second month, correct?” Jaehyun gaped at him in shock and nodded. Yunho had become increasingly more emotional, and by now other people around had noticed the situation unfold. Queen BoA approached worriedly and placed a comforting hand on Taeyong’s shoulder.

“It’s a family heirloom.” Yunho told them, but most of all Jaehyun, who stared back with wide eyes. His heart started racing, _what does this mean?_

The king gasped, now that he remembers the events that happened years ago, when Taeyong and Jaehyun had been small children. It seemed like they were on their way to celebrate a double reunion.

Yunho took hold of Jaehyun’s shoulders, and with tears in his eyes said, “You have your mother’s eyes, Jaehyun. My son…” Taeyong gasped now as well and watched his boyfriend’s reaction.

Meanwhile Jaehyun had unfrozen from his shock and next to being overwhelmed by what was happening, he couldn’t help noticing Yunho’s voice, carrying a fondness so deep. He still had a family?

“You’re my father?” Jaehyun asked him in a small, uncertain voice, scared about the answer, confused.

“Jaehyun, my son, you’re alive.” Yunho’s voice broke near the end.

Jaehyun started tearing up, his chin wobbling, because this man, his role model from when he was younger, claimed to be his father and now he felt so familiar. Jaehyun’s walls were all the way down and he thought he might really cry now.

Then Yunho smiled at him and when his side-dimple showed, Jaehyun knew. “Dad?”

At this, Yunho burst out in tears and Jaehyun threw himself in his father’s arms. Everyone around, watching this unexpected reunion felt moved and Taeyong, thinking the same thing as his parents, hugged them both close. They knew exactly how it felt.

The grand festivities were doubled when word got around that the old captain -a man loved by all- had found his lost son. The celebrations lasted for at least a week.

It was only some time later that Jaehyun was able to tell his Taeyong that Yunho and him had been able to figure out what exactly happened to his mother, by putting all the puzzle pieces together. One day, when his mother was on her way to visit Yunho with baby Jaehyun at an army base outside the kingdom, they were attacked by bandits. His mother had fled into the forest and must have stumbled upon the orphanage, deciding to leave Jaehyun there in order to protect him. She had meant to come back for him and now Jaehyun understood what the caregiver had meant, saying that she didn’t mean to leave him there. Unfortunately, his mother had never made it back and Yunho had grieved over his dead wife and lost son, their baby was never found. His mother had transferred the magical bracelet to Jaehyun before leaving him, having wanted to protect him from any evil magic.

Taeyong looked up from where he was lying in Jaehyun’s arms, on the grass in the royal garden. His head was resting on Jaehyun’s chest as they were enjoying the late afternoon sun.

“I can’t believe we both found our families.” He murmured softly.

“Yeah, it’s been a wild few days, thank you for being by my side, Taeyong, love.” He left a soft kiss on Taeyong’s forehead and the latter’s heart fluttered at the affectionate nickname.

Taeyong melted into his boyfriend’s embrace and Jaehyun pulled him closer. “I am never letting you out of my sight again, don’t worry.” Taeyong admired him and leaned in before muttering against the other’s lips. “You’ll always be my dream.” Their lips met in the middle and Taeyong lost himself in the kiss, the warm flame inside his chest was ever present now. He knew from the bottom of his heart that Jaehyun was his fate, his destiny and trusted the small bit of magic he still felt inside, thrumming and pulsing contentedly.

Taeyong moved his head back to Jaehyun’s chest, right above his heart, hearing it thump slowly. This was how it was supposed to be, he was right where he belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart! I truly hope you liked it ♡  
> Please leave me your thoughts, comments or kudos or bookmarks, I would really appreciate it!!
> 
> Find me on twitter [here ♡](https://twitter.com/butjaehyunie) or on curious cat [here ♡](https://curiouscat.me/butjaehyunie)


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